Blink
by Sandrine C
Summary: The last scene between Damon and Elena in 2x08- their thoughts during Damon's confession and Elena's reaction after he left.
1. Chapter 1

**Blink**

**Disclaimer: The characters and other things from The Vampire Diaries don't belong to me. Credit goes to the rightful owners.**

"Cute PJs." Damon said casually to Elena as she entered the room, twisting around something on his fingers, betraying his tension beneath the calm exterior.

"I'm tired Damon," Elena replied, a hint of warning in her voice as she watched him step closer.

"I brought you this," Damon said dangling her necklace in front of her, his pathetic excuse to see her and know that she was safe.

"I thought that was gone," Elena said in surprise, Damon shaking his head with the ghost of a smile on his face as memories flooded his mind, particularly when he held the same necklace in his hand, clasping it around her neck, refusing her challenge for him to compel an answer out of her.

"Thank you," Elena continued reaching out for the necklace but Damon pulled back his hand.

"Please give it back…" she said as fear crept into her eyes, unwillingly as her mind automatically recounted that fateful night. It played in her mind—how she walked in and found him, just like tonight, with that look in his eyes that almost made her run to him when he saved her.

"I just have to say something," Damon said stepping closer to her, the words almost spilling out of him with urgency.

"Why do you have to say it with my necklace?" Elena said instinctively pulling away from him as flashes of his urgent kiss, the anguish in his eyes and Jeremy dead in her arms.

"Because what I'm about to say is probably the most selfish thing I've ever said in my life," Damon said, his eyes reflecting the pain behind the decision.

"Damon don't go there," Elena pleaded, her heart beating rapidly as her mind continued on overdrive, making her relive the horror of a night so much like the one unfolding before her and in anticipation of the words that will define why he stood at the bottom of the stairs, stared at her like she was the only thing that mattered.

Elena wanted to run or cover her ears and shut her eyes. She wanted to pretend it wasn't happening but her body refused to obey her command. She stood in front of him, frozen in silence, eyes locked on his as he changed her life with three words she never needed to hear to know.

"I just have to say it once. You just need to hear it." Damon insisted, closing the gap between them, looking into her eyes, nodding slightly as he found the courage to speak the truth before accepting the role he has to play in her life.

"I love you, Elena." Damon said simply, finally knowing what those words meant.

What he _thought_ he felt before for Katherine wasn't love. It was an obsession—destructive and poison to his existence, nearly destroying everything that made him who he was.

But this time it's real because it turned the monster into something worth saving, a person who knew how to walk away from a good thing and a man who understood that he didn't need to be loved in return.

Elena opened her mouth, wanting to speak, respond, anything. But words escaped her as Damon continued with his confession, tearing down his own defenses with every syllable, "And it's because I love you, that I can't be selfish with you. Why you can't know this. I don't deserve you. But my brother does."

Damon leaned in and Elena's mouth opened, ready to protest but her voice continued to elude her as she felt his lips touch her forehead, numbing her with fear as she felt his goodbye in that single moment. Elena's breath caught in her throat as he pulled away, her eyes glistening with tears she couldn't understand and refused to let fall. She loved Stefan and Damon was…she didn't know anymore. But she found she didn't need to nor want to know what he was other than someone who loved her. Elena stared numbly ahead, completely overwhelmed, instinctively avoiding his eyes as if it would preserve his words just a second longer. Everything he said resonated in her and she didn't want to let it go. She didn't want to let him go.

Elena frowned slightly as Damon reached out and placed a hand on her face, caught up in disbelief that he will go through with it and compel her to forget.

'_It's too soon. Wait. Please. Damon. Don't please. Wait. It can't end like this. _We_ can't end like this.' _Elena thought in absolute confusion, everything inside her in conflict as she remained in a stunned silence.

"God I wish you didn't have to forget this but you do." Damon said hoarsely, allowing only a single tear to stand witness to what he just let go, believing that finally he was doing right by her.

Elena blinked and found herself alone in her bedroom. She was jarred by the cold metal she felt on her neck and she reached up to touch the pendant she knew wasn't there moments before. She looked around her cautiously, taking in the fluttering curtain, turning around to find no one.

She fingered her necklace and sat down on the bed, wondering why her pulse was racing. Her hand fell away from the pendant, forehead knit in confusion as she realized that while could not explain the nagging feeling she was missing something about how she got back her necklace, somehow she knew _who_ was responsible.

Elena sighed as she walked towards the open window, staring outside before shutting it, as if expecting to find him there. She walked back to her bed, curling up into a ball as she held the pendant tightly in one hand as if it held the answer to the unexplained tears falling from her eyes,

"What is it you needed me to forget, Damon?" Elena whispered in to no one, her voice unsteady as she continued, "And why...why does it feel like my heart is breaking?"

* * *

_**A/N: One-shot for now but if inspiration strikes I might continue it. That scene held a lot of potential that can lead into a happy ending, which I think we won't see anytime soon on the show :P Anyway, hope you enjoyed the story :)  
**_


	2. Chapter 2: On the edge

**Blink**

**Disclaimer: The characters and other things from The Vampire Diaries don't belong to me. Credit goes to the rightful owners.**

_**A/N: Decided to continue :) AU after 2x08. Hope you enjoy!**_

**Chapter 2: On the edge**

"Is something wrong?" Stefan asked Elena gently as she absently fingered her necklace, frowning slightly at nothing

"No," Elena replied turning to him, her hand dropping to her sides, "Why?"

"Nothing," he said, "you just seem a bit…distracted."

"I have powerful vampires after me, I'm apparently a doppelganger to an evil bitch vampire trapped in a tomb and I'm…," Elena trailed off hesitating, changing her mind at the last second, and "I'm just overwhelmed. I'll be fine. Yeah, I'll be fine."

Elena turned away from Stefan as she pulled up her knees in front of her and stared into the blazing fire in front of them, choosing to imagine she was anywhere but in the Salvatore house.

"_Damon," _she whispered in her mind as she struggled to find answers she knew were stolen from her.

Elena sighed imperceptibly, careful not to alert Stefan who was still pacing in front of her trying to figure out what to do. She closed her eyes unable to focus on anything but the pendant that hung on her neck, wondering if she even wanted explanations that eluded her.

Part of her was afraid and wanted more than anything to listen to the rational voice in her mind that told her to trust Damon's reasons for keeping her in the dark. Elena wanted to imagine that whatever it was he hid from her, it was horrible, frightening and she was better off not knowing.

But she wanted to know. She _needed_ to know. Her head, her heart, everything was aching from the emptiness. It was important—whatever it was, she was sure of that. Ever since she felt the cold metal on her neck she had only thought of him and it was taking every inch of self-control to not run looking for him as if he was the only one who could make it all stop.

"Hello," said a female voice, tentative and half-apologetic. Elena opened her eyes and found Rose, her old captor, and nodded to her by way of greeting.

Damon walked in after Rose, straight to the table full of liquor and poured himself a drink before sitting in the farthest chair, remaining uncharacteristically quiet.

Elena shivered as she felt his coldness, his adamant silent refusal to even acknowledge her presence. Stefan took notice and immediately sat next to Elena, placing his arm on her shoulders to pull her close but instead she stood up and walked towards the fireplace.

"What did you find out…Rose?" Elena asked pointedly, choosing to outwardly ignore Damon as well even if everything in her was attuned to even how he raised his glass to his lips or how he glared at her when she directed her question to the female vampire.

"Elijah isn't dead. But at least he's not on his way here. Not yet. Make no mistake, he will come to collect you but he will plan and make sure this time he doesn't fail. He was caught by surprise the first time since the fully believed that the doppelganger line ended with Katerina. We have time, but not much." Rose said slowly, noticing the tension that was building in the room.

"Now that we're done stating the obvious," Damon interrupted as he stood up to refill his glass, "What are we going to do with the little wench trapped in that tomb? Rose here thinks that in this fight we can trust Katherine on this one and that we actually need her. I say that's a brilliantly _stupid_ notion. Katherine can _never_ be trusted and most certainly never with Elena's life."

Elena looked sharply at Damon when he said her name, their eyes meeting much like when she was atop the stairs. She held his gaze only for a few seconds but it was enough to see the myriad of emotions he was trying to control. Her hand found its way to her necklace and Damon turned away almost immediately.

"Damon, she has the moonstone and we have to get it from her before they do." Stefan insisted, snapping them back into reality.

"He's right." Rose said quietly, trying to reason with Damon who was ready to crush the glass he was holding as he turned sharply to her, "The moonstone that binds the curse has power on its own and it is tied to Elena. It will find its way to the Petrova doppelganger somehow and if it's in their hands you will just make it easier for them to find Elena. How do you think that stone surfaced now? With Elena here? It is part of their bloodline and it will find them because the damn curse is _alive_. It _wants_ to be broken."

"Fine. I'll go there and get the stupid thing." Damon said with a shrug, "No reason to let her out. She can just toss it to me."

"Katherine won't give it up, Damon, not that easily." Stefan pointed out, "You said it yourself—she will negotiate and most likely it's the moonstone for her freedom. We just have to make sure we let her out on our terms."

"She's going to run not stay here and help. Are you crazy, Stefan? The bitch will never stick around for a fight she's not sure to win. Why do you think she faked her death in the first place? She _knows_ she doesn't stand a chance. No. We're not letting her out. If she won't hand it over then get the witch to find something else. If she can figure out mystical note passing, I'm fairly certain she can also pick up sticks and stones on that magical mail service." Damon said, "Katherine is not playing on this team. I don't trust her."

"But you can trust me." Rose said

"I've heard that before." Damon said in a low voice, staring Rose down as he pretended not to see Elena's eyes widen slightly at the memory. "That's was a one-time only pass. It's not going to work this time."

"I can convince her. If you let me talk to her, I'll get Katerina to behave." Rose insisted, oblivious to the undercurrent of emotions flying in the room.

Damon smiled tiredly in spite of himself, wondering why he was going to say it anyway, "I don't trust her. I tried to kill her."

He turned to Elena and waited for her to say something. But she stayed silent so he sighed and shrugged his shoulders before turning around to walk out of the room.

"Damon," Elena suddenly said, making him stop in his tracks, "_Please_._"_

Damon turned around slowly, jaw clenched as he answered, "Fine but don't expect a happy ending, especially not for you and Stefan, not with her out of that tomb."

"I'll take my chances," Elena said facing him squarely, forcing him to stare into her eyes, challenging him to break away first.

"Come on, Rose. I'll walk you out. You should get to your hotel so you can start writing up your little speech to exorcise Katherine's inner bitch so she'll join our renegade band of vampires." Damon said, eyes flashing defiantly before turning away to lead Rose out.

Elena watched the pair walk away, surprised that she noted where his hand rested on Rose's back as he guided her out, wondering if there was something there or why she even noticed in the first place.

"I should get you home. You're safer there since vampires can walk in here anytime." Stefan said walking towards her but Elena held out a hand.

"No, I, uh, have my car. I can go home by myself." Elena said stepping away from Stefan, who looked surprised and somewhat hurt, "I need a bit of space, Stefan, and process all this. I just need to be alone for a while. I'll be fine. It's just a few minutes anyway. Please."

Stefan looked unconvinced but nodded and let her go. Elena walked out the familiar hallways alone, the same ones she ran through in a haze of tears and heartbreak. She took a deep breath and opened the front door, closing it behind her and leaning against it as she closed her eyes, hand placed on her pendant once again.

"Have you and Stefan learned _nothing_ from the last 48 hours or the last few months for that matter?"

Elena's eyes flew open as she gasped in surprise as she found Damon standing in front of her, a frown deeply etched on his face.

"You have no business going home alone, Elena. First, there was the whole car accident with Anna's little stalker friend and then the kidnapping that's not even a week old. So let's not try for a third reason for me to call up the DMV and compel them to revoke your license and never issue you a replacement." Damon pointed out, bumping her hand and catching the keys that flew out of it before putting it in his back pocket. "Let's go. I'm driving you home."

"I want to be alone." Elena insisted weakly, finding herself calmer alone with Damon and wanting to be around him a bit longer.

"And I need you to be safe. 'Need' trumps 'want' so I win." Damon said not backing down, "Come on, Elena, I didn't help save your life just to lose you now. Besides, I already let the air out of your tires and took out the battery. It's not like you can take your car anywhere at this point."

Elena threw up her hands in frustration and walked past Damon towards the familiar blue car. "You're impossible, Damon."

"Endearing isn't it?" Damon said with a mischievous grin as he opened the door for her.

"Hardly." Elena said stubbornly, allowing herself to smile in the darkness before composing her face into an angry expression as he slid in to the driver's seat.

Damon smirked as he put the key into ignition and backed out of the driveway. Expecting silence, he reached out to turn on the radio but Elena spoke before he even touched the dial.

"Thank you." Elena said simply, looking out the window as she traced outlines on the glass.

"Always glad to be the designated driver, bodyguard or hero-in-waiting." Damon said absently as he kept his eyes on the road, on the lookout for any lurking threat.

"No…"Elena said turning to him, "For returning my necklace. Thank you."

Damon drew his lips into a thin line as he took a deep breath to steady his voice before he responded, "What makes you think I did that?"

"I just do. Are you denying it?" Elena asked

"You never saw me there." Damon said back not answering directly

"No, I just don't _remember_ seeing you there. You compelled me to forget." Elena replied.

Damon sighed, "Okay, I'll bite—no pun intended, let's say I did give that back to you but why would I need to compel you to forget returning a small trinket?"

"Because something else happened, you didn't just hand it over." Elena insisted

"What makes you so sure?" Damon challenged

"Because you took away the memory but you didn't steal everything else that came with it, Damon." Elena said hoarsely, "Whatever it was you wanted to protect me from is still haunting me and it's driving me insane that I don't understand it. I'm going crazy trying to figure out what you're hiding from me."

"Then stop. Anyway, what makes you think I was trying to protect you? How sure are you it wasn't an act of self-preservation? Can you really believe that I didn't compel you out of selfishness so you don't remember another unforgivable act from yours truly?" Damon said

"So you admit it—it _was_ you." Elena said softly, "It's getting easier to see through you, you know?"

Damon gave her a tight smile in response and kept his silence.

"You were trying to protect me. I know that. I trust you. You're not selfish. Not with me." Elena said.

"So I haven't lost you forever then?" Damon said lightly, careful not to betray how much he needed her to answer his question or just how her words were so close to parts of the truth.

"You're part of my life that I can't let go. Believe me, I've tried." Elena said simply.

"I know." Damon said with a rueful smile, "I was there for every attempt."

"Please, Damon. What are you hiding from me?" Elena pleaded with him as he pulled up in front of her house.

"You're better off not knowing, Elena," he said with a sigh, "Besides, it won't change anything."

"Is crying yourself to sleep what you call "better off"?" Elena asked as she turned in her seat to face him, "Damon, I need to understand why it is that when I see you or just think about you, I feel like I'm being ripped apart inside. I can't do anything to make it stop because I don't even know what started it. Please, Damon, if you really care about me, just tell me why I feel like I'm losing you."

Damon closed his eyes, got out of the car, opened Elena's door and led her to the house.

"Elena," he began, "I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere. I'll protect you. I promise you that."

Elena shook her head, "That's not what I meant. You're right in front of me but when I look at you, you seem like you're slipping away. It's scaring me, Damon. What is happening? What aren't you telling me?"

"Nothing worth repeating," Damon said with a small smile, "It was just something I said that I find embarrassing, so I made you forget. Seriously. Go inside, Elena. Let it go."

He stepped forward and kissed her on the forehead. Elena closed her eyes, feeling her mind closing in on the edges of a memory that was just beyond reach until the second Damon broke contact.

Her eyes flew open and began blinking rapidly trying to hold on to the tenuous grasp she had on the sensation of remembering a fragment of last night. Elena found Damon staring at her curiously, maybe a little bit worried.

"Damon…" she said trailing off.

"Get some rest, Elena. You need it." Damon said as he started to walk away from her, "Oh and you're welcome…for the necklace. You're welcome."

Elena nodded, watching him as he left, calling out at the last second before he got in the car, "Will you ever tell me?"

Damon smiled as he shook his head.

"If I guess, will you tell me if I get it right?" Elena said

Damon rolled his eyes, "You get to try three times and if you don't get it, we're dropping the subject. _Forever._ You hear? And no, you can't start guessing tonight. It can wait. Sleep tight, Elena."

"Fine," Elena mouthed to him, waving goodbye before going inside only to be thrown in pitch darkness when every single light went out in the house as the door slammed shut behind her.


	3. Chapter 3: Breathe in, scream out

**Blink**

**Disclaimer: The characters and other things from The Vampire Diaries don't belong to me. Credit goes to the rightful owners.**

**Chapter 3: Breathe in, scream out**

Elena opened her mouth to scream but no sound escaped as someone clamped a hand over her lips, forcing her into silence. Panic seized her for a terrifying moment until she realized it was Jeremy who held her slowly pulling her back towards the door she just came through. He reached behind him and slowly opened the doorknob, not to make even the slightest sound.

Inch by agonizing inch, moonlight filtered into the doorway as Jeremy pushed Elena out first. She held her breath as she slowly tugged on Jeremy's arm to follow her, when another hand latched on her arm making her gasp loudly.

Damon grabbed her quickly and pulled her close, her face buried in his chest muffling the scream she couldn't hold back. He shot a look of question to Jeremy, mouthing to him, "What is going on?"

Jeremy simply shook his head and pointed towards Damon's car, gesturing that they should make a run for it. Damon nodded and took his arm from Elena, pushing back from her to get a good look and assess whether she was merely shaken or injured.

"I'm fine," Elena mouthed, picking up on Jeremy's signals that they had to go. She placed her hand in Damon's as they prepared to bolt but suddenly all the lights switched on, glowing brighter then they ever had, illuminating Rose who stood in utter shock at the far end of the porch.

"MOVE!" Rose yelled, running at full speed towards Jeremy, practically dragging him away, and using her body to shield him. Damon was ahead of them; practically carrying Elena before falling on top of her as the force of the explosion behind them shattered all the windows and pushed them to the ground.

Maniacal laughter filled the air as smaller explosions set off inside the house. Neighbors slowly trickled out into the street, clearly confused and alarmed to find the Gilbert residence blazing in their midst.

"Jenna!" Elena screamed, struggling to get up but Damon kept her pinned down until he was sure it was safe.

"Oh my God. Oh my God. Jenna. No, no, no…" Elena said hysterically, mindlessly walking towards the house as hot glass continued to shatter in the fire, "Jeremy! Was Jenna inside?"

"I.. I don't…," Jeremy said, his eyes glassy as he stared into the fire that engulfed their home.

"Hey," Damon pulled Elena back, encircling her waist with both arms as she struggled to run towards the burning house, "What the hell are you doing?"

"I have to get to Jenna! Let me go! I need to get her! I need….Oh, God…No…" Elena said tears streaming down her face as she gave in to the horror and hung limply from Damon's grasp, his hold on her the only thing keeping her from crumpling on the ground in despair.

Sirens blared around them, firefighters surrounding them, asking them questions and simultaneously attacking the flames. But Elena heard nothing and could only focus on the emptiness that was beginning to overwhelm her.

"What-?" Jenna's voice broke through the haze, keeping Elena from spiraling. Immediately she flew to her aunt's side, Jeremy coming soon after, enveloping both women in a tight embrace.

"Are you two okay? Are you hurt? Oh, God." Jenna said examining them both with her eyes, worry evident in her voice.

"We're fine," Elena said hiccupping, barely recovered from her sobbing moments earlier, "We just thought…we thought you were inside."

"No…I was out with Alaric and then his tire blew out and we had to change it. If it hadn't, I don't know…we would have been here…and…" Jenna said trailing off, finally focusing on the smoke blasting angrily out of every opening of the house.

"I'm sorry but it's time to go. We have to go NOW." Rose whispered urgently, looking to Damon for support.

Damon nodded and turned to Elena, "She's right. We can't stay here. We have to move. We need to get you to a safe place."

"No, the house…" Jenna said absently, fixated on the sight before them.

"I'll take care of this. I'll talk to the fire department. Just go with Damon. Please, Jenna. They can explain this, whatever this is," Alaric said, looking pointedly at Damon, who nodded in acknowledgment, "but you have to leave, NOW."

"No...I...Elena?" Jenna said turning to her niece, looking impossibly lost and uncertain.

"Jenna," Damon said in a low voice filled with urgency, "You have to trust me. Every second you stay out here in the open your life is at risk. Don't even get me started on how much more danger Elena is in as we wait for you to snap out of it. This is real and it's scary—I know. But standing out here in the open will not change that."

"This is just the beginning," Rose said gently, "They're trying to show you just how easy it is to get to your family, Elena. We can't be sure what they're next move is and all I know is that we need you out of here before they try anything else."

"Jenna, I got this. Please just go." Alaric said, holding her face in his hands, "I'll follow. Just go."

"I'll stay with him, and make sure he's safe. But you _really_ have to get out of here." Rose insisted, exchanging a look with Elena, who acquiesced with a brief nod.

Elena turned to her aunt, placed an arm around Jenna's shoulders and led her to Damon's car.

"Where will we go?" Jeremy asked Damon as they followed the two women, "Your house?"

"Yes," Damon nodded, "Call the witch and ask her to follow. We need her to seal it or something because that place isn't owned by any human. It's practically an open invitation for them to attack. She won't be safe there for long."

Jeremy nodded as he got in the car, sitting next to Jenna who was unmoving in her state of shock.

Elena sat in the passenger seat next to Damon, folding and unfolding her hands, until he reached out and held them, forcing her to stop.

"Look at me Elena," Damon said, waiting patiently for her to turn her head, staring straight into her eyes. Elena looked at him, almost losing herself in the depth of his eyes, finding herself calming down as she focused on him alone.

"I need you to listen to me. I'm going to say this once. Just hear me out," Damon said. Elena's eyes widened slightly, something in her confused mind recognizing bits and pieces of his words, but his hand on her face snapped her sharply back into reality, "You can't fall apart now. It's what they want. They expect you to get scared and give up, hand yourself over to save the people in your life. Don't give in. I promise you, I will do everything I can to protect you and everyone else you need me to keep safe. Just don't fade on me."

"You can't…It's impossible." Elena said in a small voice, fighting the tears that threatened to fall but failing.

Damon caught the tear with his thumb, ignoring Jeremy as he stared silently at the exchange, "Then I'll die trying."

"And what if it's you I need to be safe?" Elena asked hoarsely but with undeniable determination behind her words.

Damon dropped his hand from her face, started the car and drove in silence, pretending not to have heard what she said so he could ignore the growing hope inside his heart. He concentrated on the road, wanting more than anything to get her to the house and have his brother play the part of the hero because it wasn't something he was ever going to get used to. It wasn't him.

He felt the tension emanating from Elena as she maintained a stony silence, built from the trauma of what has happened and her frustration with his newfound selflessness. Damon wanted to laugh, shake it off and wish he could compel himself to forget that he loved her. Instead, he chose to drive fast and park the car abruptly in front of his house, making the tires screech loudly enough to alarm Stefan to lure him out.

Damon unlocked the doors and waited until Stefan opened the door with a bewildered expression on his face before helping his passengers out.

"Get them settled inside, in one room where you can see them—at least until the witch gets here and does voodoo to protect the house," Damon rattled off to Stefan, "Oh don't look at me like that, Stef. It's not shocking that they came after her and everyone who shared her DNA. We knew this was coming, well maybe not this soon but…just get them inside. We'll do the storytelling later when I get over the urge to interject expletives in every sentence."

Damon said rolling his eyes as he gestured with his hands to usher them in—a visibly shaking Jenna, a nervous but outwardly confident Jeremy and Elena who flinched almost unnoticeably when Stefan put an arm around her.

Damon narrowed his eyes at her, unsure whether to read into her reaction or to just chalk it up to stress of what she went through.

Elena shrugged off Stefan's arm, "I'll stay out here. I'll…I'll wait for Bonnie."

"Elena…" Damon said in a warning tone, "Go inside. It's safer there."

"No, I'm safe with you." Elena replied automatically before turning to Stefan, "Please. I'll be fine. I just need fresh air to calm down. I can't…I can't face Jenna. I can't be the one to explain to her all _this._"

Stefan nodded in understanding, shooting Damon a look before going back inside, leaving the door wide open behind him.

"Out with it, Elena." Damon said the second he was sure Stefan was out of earshot, "The air is biting cold and not 'fresh'."

"You're supposed to be selfish," Elena spat out, choosing anger instead of the fear that was growing inside her, "You're not supposed to be self-sacrificing. Why are you even still here?"

"Wow, reverse psychology," Damon said with a smirk, "Good try though. Points for effort, Elena, but not enough to push me away. I'm not going anywhere. It's just off the table. Not for discussion. End of story. Why do you even bother?"

Elena closed her eyes and took a deep breath, "Because I want to save you just as much as you want to save me."

Damon's jaw tightened, his fists curled at his sides, "Don't. I'm not worth it. Or have you already forgotten I'm a murderer, a monster. In all honesty, I never did understand why you ever bothered to save me before or why you feel the urge to try now. My life won't be the one that changes this world into a supernatural wasteland where vampires and werewolves roam free. _You_ need to be kept alive, at any cost."

He took a deep breath before facing her, "I'm no better than Katherine or everyone else who's after you. The only difference is that I have a brother who loves you, who would suffer if he lost you," Damon said a small, sad smile on his face, "Save your heroism for someone else Elena, I don't deserve it."

Something tugged at Elena's heart, pushing her to step closer to Damon as fragments of his speech giving her the oddest sense of déjà vu.

"You've changed." Elena said as she stared at him openly, her head tilting to one side as she scrutinized him as if the changes were physical.

"Yeah, I'm wearing navy blue not black." Damon said casually as he looked away from her but she stepped around and placed herself in his line of sight.

"You're not the person who called me a liar, who believed I would betray my boyfriend, who was obsessed with Katherine and who knew nothing but getting his way." Elena whispered as she continued to look at him.

"What do you want me to say, Elena?" Damon exploded, refusing to look at her still, "What do you want to hear?"

Elena reached out to touch his cheek but instead she pulled back and held her necklace instead, finding herself suspended in disbelief. It was impossible, she could not process it but somewhere inside she knew. She understood what he kept from her and why. He had changed but with that meant he recognized fully all the consequences—on her, his brother and everything in between. Damon finally stripped away everything that made him a vampire and left only a man trapped in a cursed existence.

Elena swallowed the lump in her throat and smiled wanly at him, "Nothing. I don't need to hear anything. Just humor me—nod or shake your head if I get it right. Okay?"

Damon raised his eyebrows but allowed her to continue.

"You came to my room, in a pink shirt and you danced around like a fool to make me laugh so I'd forget about my problems. And then you kissed me on the forehead, looked me in the eyes and made me forget, even if deep inside you wished I would remember so I'll laugh about it when I'm sad. "Elena said, her eyes brimming with tears.

Damon looked at her, clenched his jaw as he struggled to keep his voice steady and even as he responded, "One down and not even close, Elena. Nowhere near," he said, partly a lying knowing how close she was and guessing at how much she held back, "Don't waste your other chances."

"I won't," Elena said evenly, "but are you sure you don't want me to? If I get it, there won't be any turning back. I won't let you compel me again."

"I wouldn't want to," Damon said, a tragic smile on his face, "Because if you actually get it and find the guts to say it…it only means I have every reason to believe there's hope left for me. And if you give me even the smallest bit of that…I won't let go. This isn't about you figuring it out, Elena. We both know that—you're smart, I'll give you that. It's about wanting those answers because they mean something to you and you actually believe there's more than one possible happily ever after for you."

"That's enough for today," Damon said cutting her off before she could even open her mouth, "Bonnie is here."

Before Elena could run to Bonnie, Damon bared his fangs and pulled her behind him.

Bonnie raised her hand, eyes empty and unblinking as she uttered a flurry of strange words, slamming both Damon and Elena back into the house with the front door slamming in their faces. They listened Bonnie's chanting grow louder and the same maniacal laughter that rang out from the burning Gilbert house.

Then complete silence reigned for a few seconds before Elijah's voice rang out all throughout the house.

"_The Bennett witch has now done what you had wanted and sealed you in. Welcome to your prison and the last days of your existence. I'll be in touch."_


	4. Chapter 4: Behind closed doors

**Blink**

**Disclaimer: The characters and other things from The Vampire Diaries don't belong to me. Credit goes to the rightful owners.**

**Chapter 4: Behind closed doors**

Damon pulled on the door knob in defiance, finding his strength to be no match to the magic even as he tried to force it open. He poured out his frustration, anger and everything else he could muster into forcing the knob to turn but it refused to budge.

"Damon…" Elena said gently, placing her hand on top of his, "Stop it. Don't waste your energy. It won't open."

His head turned sharply towards her, eyes blazing as he turned. She nodded slowly, calming him down with a silent plea and a gentle squeeze of her hand.

"What the hell was that?" Stefan called out as he walked towards Elena, followed by Jeremy and Jenna, "Are you hurt, Elena? What happened? Was that—"

"Elijah, the invincible," Damon interrupted darkly, "He got to Bonnie and I don't know if it was compulsion or something else but for some reason he managed to convince her to lock us up here. And by lock, I mean sealed in Emily style."

Stefan walked absently to the door as Damon spoke, trying to pull it open to no avail, "It won't open," he said to Damon.

"Duh." Damon said, giving his brother a withering look.

"I just love how highly you think of my cognitive abilities," Damon continued, rolling his eyes, "Don't you think I tried it already and didn't you hear me say we're locked up?"

"Maybe it's a vampire thing?" Elena said, "You know, like with the tomb? I'm human. Maybe if I tried…"

But Elena was thrown back straight into Damon's arms before she could even touch the knob. He held her steady, whispered to her, "Upsy-daisy. I got you. Don't worry, I got you."

"Elena!" Stefan cried out, extricating her from Damon's grasp and holding her at arms length to examine her from head to toe, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine Stefan. I'm fine." Elena responded straightening up quickly, looking down at the floor or anywhere down so that her hair would fall around her face and hide the blush she couldn't stop from creeping into her cheeks the moment Damon connected with her.

"Maybe I should try…I mean I have no ties to Katherine. Maybe that's it." Jeremy said reaching out for the door before Damon pulled him back by the shirt.

"Give the witch some credit. I don't think Bonnie's spell can be cracked by simple trial and error. Sorry. We're trapped here. Period," Damon said shaking his head, "We might as well move this party to a bigger room, with alcohol preferably, and get comfortable because I have a feeling we're going to be here awhile. In other words, if I'm going to be around all of you for more than an hour, I'm going to need a strong drink."

He looked around as the rest of his companions continued to alternately stare at each other then at the door, as if they wanted to take another stab at it.

"No takers?" Damon repeated, "Going once? Going twice? Fine. Stare it down and see if that works. Give the whole mind over matter thing a whirl."

The door flew open before he could even take a step out. Caroline stood in front of them and waved as she came in through the door as if nothing was wrong.

"Hi!" Caroline said cheerfully as she slowly moved to close the door behind her.

"NO!" everyone but the newcomers cried out in unison.

Caroline jumped and slammed the door shut behind her in surprise. "What? What?," she exclaimed, "'No' what?"

Damon threw his hands up in the air and rolled his eyes as he walked away from them, "I shouldn't be sober for something like this._ No one_ should be sober for this."

"What is going on? I got a call from Bonnie telling me to hurry down here and now you're all screaming at me for closing a freaking door, which FYI is a good idea when you're trying to keep bad things out." Caroline said rapidly.

"Not when the bad things trapped you inside your own house, Caroline." Damon answered, "Have I mentioned exactly how we're like sitting ducks here?"

"What do you mean trapped?" Caroline said turning around to open the door, which expectedly remained shut.

Damon gave her a pointed look and shook his head, "Trapped. With a capital T. Look it up."

"Okay, okay! I'm sorry. I didn't know!" Caroline said in a huff, "Now what?"

"We have to get help." Stefan said pacing in front of them.

"Okay, you stay here while I get the bat signal ready." Damon said sarcastically, "Stefan, unless you somehow believe calling 911 can undo supernatural voodoo on top of first aid, we're fairly screwed."

"No," Jenna started slowly, "Alaric is still out there…he can help us. And he's with…that girl..who's like you."

"Vampire." Damon said, "You can say it. It's not taboo. We're vampires. Stef, didn't you explain it to her?"

"Damon, quit it." Elena said stepping in, "She's right. Alaric and Rose can figure something out. Maybe they can find another witch to undo the spell or maybe get Bonnie from Elijah."

Jenna pulled out her phone and dialed Alaric's number. But before the call was picked up, Damon bumped Jenna's hand so that the phone flew out of her hand, which he caught neatly with his.

"Hello there teacher slash vampire weapon man," Damon said into the mouthpiece as he evaded Stefan who attempted to take the phone from him, "Need your help. Long story short—Elijah, just ask Rose who he is, has Bonnie. He had the witch seal us in the house and we need you to break us out of here before they attack or something. Got that?"

Damon nodded, listening to the voice on the other end, walking as he did so before coming to an abrupt stop. His knuckles turned white as he gripped the phone, his eyes darkening as he started speaking in a strong tone.

"No, that is out of the question, Rose." Damon said sharply, "Leave her out of this. If you can figure out how to get that bitch out of that tomb, then you can sure as hell get us out of this house."

"I don't care about the moonstone!" Damon exploded as he continued to move around, "She's not getting out. Do you hear me? If you bring her here, I swear I'll tear you limb from –"

Stefan quickly stole the phone from Damon, pushing him roughly to the side, "Rose, do what needs to be done. I trust you."

"Have you lost your mind, Stefan?" Damon said rounding on his brother, "If she brings Katherine here, not only will you make Elijah's job a cakewalk but you'd have given that bitch exactly what she wants. Do you honestly think she's going to leave Elena alive after this?"

"Yeah, look Stefan, she's scary. Too scary, in fact. I mean your broody 'it's Tuesday' look is nothing compared to her 'I'm a psycho killer' smile that's permanently plastered on her face." Caroline pointed out, slowly trying to move closer to the brothers.

"We have no choice!" Stefan shouted back, "She's the only one who knows a witch powerful enough to get us out of here. We need her."

"No, Stefan—_you_ need her. The rest of us just need to get the hell out of here." Damon said before stalking off.

But Stefan was faster and blocked his way, "This is _Elena_, Damon. I'll do anything to save her—even make a pact with the devil. I'll do it. And if it means working with Katherine, I'm all for it. Think about it Damon, she knows exactly why they're after her and probably what needs to be done to end all this madness. If we play it right, we can still win this but you're going to have to deal with the fact that you're going to have to punish her later for leading you on for more than a hundred years."

"Wow," Damon said in mock surprise, "And here I thought you were the good brother now. I guess there is still a monster there inside of you just waiting to play with fire again. Fine, Stefan. But the second this is over—she's mine to deal with. Her life is mine to end."

Stefan nodded gravely, finally stepping aside to let Damon through before turning to Elena who stood in shock as she watched the brothers argue.

"Let the doppelganger speak, she should have an opinion too." Damon said mockingly, his eyes clouded in fury, softening only when Elena visibly flinched at the term.

"Don't call me that." Elena said, "I just want this over with. Anything to have this nightmare end. Just please stop fighting. We don't have time for this right now."

"Look, I know very little about all this that you're talking about. I can barely wrap my head around the fact that you three are vampires and that Elena has a vampire double." Jenna said with a level head, "But I think the best thing we can do right now is calm down, talk about what we do know about the real enemy and not turn on each other, so we can figure out a plan to keep us from getting killed."

Damon shrugged and walked off into the living room, leaving the rest of them to follow suit. He poured himself a drink as the rest of them found places to sit. He watched as Stefan and Elena instinctively gravitated towards each other, sitting closely together on the couch.

Unable to watch them, he cleared his throat and walked towards the windows, tapping lightly on it before slamming his fist on it in an attempt to shatter it.

"Now what," he muttered as he shook his fist from the pain of hitting the glass, which didn't even vibrate from the force he put into it, "What's the plan, Jenna? Are we supposed to bond or do trust games now?"

Elena glared at him, prompting him to at look a little bit ashamed, "Sorry, Jenna. Damon is just trying to act unaffected so you still think he's badass. Don't take it personally, he's just a jerk."

"You're too kind, Ms. Gilbert," Damon retorted, back turned to all of them.

"Look, can we just focus for one second? Can someone start by explaining exactly who this Elijah is and what he wants with my sister? And why we're supposed to trust Elena's kidnapper all of a sudden and the fact that any second now she's going to come in here with Katherine, who started all this mess?" Jeremy said.

"Elijah is one of the Originals," Stefan explained, "the oldest known vampires, practically legend. Not much is known about them except by the fear they inspire. As vampires, our powers increase with age, which would apply to them as well and probably why Elijah wasn't killed by Damon when he staked him."

"Or maybe Damon missed? It happens," Caroline suggested.

"I did_ not_ miss." Damon said narrowing his eyes at Caroline, "Next time, I'm burning him to the ground. And I'll scatter the ashes all over this damn town."

"Anyway," Stefan said ignoring the two, "Rose said they're coming after Elena, which they've done."

"But why?" Jenna asked, "She's just a teenager. She's done nothing wrong…unless it's because she's around you two so much. Elena is just human."

"No, she's a Petrova." Katherine interrupted, sauntering into the room confidently, seemingly unaffected by her time in the tomb, "And that makes all the difference in the world."

Damon moved closer to Elena automatically, glaring at Katherine as she moved around the room as if she owned the place.

"How did you get out?" Damon said narrowing his eyes at Katherine.

"Lucy gave instructions to your shaman over here on how to bring down the seal. He has a wonderful chanting tone. Oh, wait, didn't you know were one Alaric? Shame that Isobel never got around to sharing that with you, after all it's the reason why she was drawn to you in the first place." Katherine said casually.

Rose looked at Stefan and Elena, nodding to them, a look of apology in her eyes as she entered after Katherine. Alaric immediately ran to Jenna, enveloped her in his arms, whispering calming words to her as she went into shock seeing Katherine who looked exactly like her niece.

"How touching. I feel bad, isn't anyone going to welcome me? Stefan?" Katherine looked at the younger Salvatore expectantly, "Damon?"

"No, just go ahead and keep feeling bad. I prefer that you suffer and I'd rather pry my eyes out with my bare hands than welcome you anywhere." Damon responded before pouring himself another drink.

"Lucy is on her way even if she is no longer in my debt, thanks to Bonnie being in deep trouble, so we just wait and we'll be out of here in a while." Katherine said taking a seat on the other side of Stefan, her hands creeping up his chest, which he promptly pushed away.

Katherine sighed dramatically and leaned away from them, resting on the edge of the couch. "Fine. Be that way. You'll come to me soon enough. Oh, and before I forget—thank you so much for being so supportive of setting me free, unlike someone who claimed to love me."

"Didn't you hear through the grapevine? I'm over you, Katherine. Deal with it." Damon shot back.

"Oh right. You're in love with someone else. Tell me, Damon, how is that going for you? Don't you just love how history repeats itself and somehow you still don't end up with the girl?" Katherine challenged him, smiling to herself, enjoying the fury light up his face as he struggled not to lash out at her, "Like I said, when did you get so hot, Damon."

"Can you please just stop baiting him?" Elena exclaimed suddenly rising to Damon's defense, "You're here to help, not rile everyone up. Do I need to remind you that they're not just after me but you as well?"

"Ah, and so there's hope for you yet, Damon," Katherine's eyes blazed for a second, angry over the interruption, before calming down again as she addressed Elena, "You'll make a feisty vampire, you know that? But I digress, as you pointed out. I'm here to finish this long drawn out mess. Stefan, my love, I'll continue the storytelling from here. You simply don't have a flair for it."

Katherine pulled out the moonstone and raised it against the light, marveling at it as she held it, "The curse is bound in this stone, as Rose may have already told you. You can't see it but encased in it is a single drop of blood sacrificed by the wife of the shaman who created the curse. She died protecting his husband as he bound our kind to the night and the wolves to their fate. It was that piece of her that he didn't count on as he finished the spell—it created a key to unlock it. She was our ancestor, my dear Elena. The shaman in his grief placed a spell on his daughter and all females to be born in her bloodline. In every generation a doppelganger will be born, a copy of his wife, who can undo the wrong with her blood, so that someday the shaman's wife will be free again. But this spell, this other curse, is linked to the first and will shatter those binds as well."

Katherine's voice turned solemn, a faraway look in her eyes as she continued, "Her blood sealed it and your blood will open it. Another sacrifice, a night like the last one this moonstone was offered by a witch, and the spell will be broken."

"Stefan was mine first, Elena, and as much as I'd like to kill you for stealing him away, I can't. I hid your great grandmother away to protect her but that meant she never learned of her heritage and the oath all the women in our line are sworn to uphold—keep the moonstone hidden, ensure that the next generation knows of the story and most importantly, keep the doppelganger safe. Meaning—you are completely and blissfully ignorant of how important you are."

"Why does Klaus want the curse broken? Can't he just get a witch to do a spell to let him walk in daylight?" Stefan asked

"No, it's not that simple," Rose interrupted, "The curse didn't just steal our ability to walk in the sun. It took away power—invincibility. We're all very difficult to kill now, only a handful of ways to do so, the Originals even less ways to do so. BUT they can still be destroyed, even Klaus—with a werewolf bite, he can be killed. However, if the curse is broken, he will be immortal in the truest sense of the word."

"There has to be another way around this," Stefan said in frustration, "There has to be a way to save Elena and eliminate the threats permanently."

"Impossible." Katherine said in a sure and steady voice, "For as long as living Petrova blood pumps in her veins, she will be in danger."

"Why can't we just sacrifice you again?" Damon asked Katherine in an annoyed tone.

"I'm living on borrowed blood, Damon, it doesn't work that way." Katherine pointed out.

"Okay so we kill the Originals and this Klaus guy. I believe that's why you needed Mason. I highly doubt you really saw yourself living in a house with a white picket fence with the surfer," Damon pointed out

"Bravo, Damon. Your ability to put two and two together continues to amaze me." Katherine said mockingly, "Yes, precisely why. But you killed him and I never did find out if Tyler is my new pet. Did he turn Caroline?"

"You! You compelled Matt to provoke Tyler! He could have been killed!" Caroline said hysterically

"Not 'could' sweetie, he _should_ have been killed even if his eyes are so blue. In any case, I'm sure Plan B worked just fine. I'm right aren't I?" Katherine said sweetly

"He's useless now," Damon said, "Full moon is weeks away. I don't think your European fans will wait that long Katherine. We're talking hours or days before they shred us until we're unrecognizable. So how far along the alphabet do we have to go to find out your plan to get around that tricky little fact?"

Suddenly a loud explosion was heard through out the house, all the windows shattering around them, forcing them to drop to the ground. Stefan pinned Elena beneath him until the rumbling stopped. They heard faint footsteps approach them and immediately they stood on guard, the vampires moving forward to shield the humans from the intruder.

"It's me," Lucy said, broken and bleeding, "It's just me. I broke the spell…but—"

She wasn't able to finish her sentence, collapsing on the spot. Alaric ran to her and felt her neck for a pulse, nodding when he found one.

"She's just out. She's alive. Think she just needs to rest. It must have been the spell," Alaric said, carrying Lucy to the couch to lay her down.

"Good to know…I just don't like the sound of the 'but' she just said or the fact that we can't ask her the words that should have come after that." Damon said trailing off as the air shifted around them, swirling around them before settling into an eerie calm.

And then Elijah stood before them, smiling calmly as he looked at each one. Bonnie standing to his right, eyes void of expression or any sign of the friend they knew.

"Bonnie!" Elena shouted, moving to run to her friend but Caroline held her back.

"NO! Elena! Look at her, that's not Bonnie. At least, she's not in her right mind. Just stay behind me okay?" Caroline said before turning to Elijah, "Let Bonnie go. You don't need her."

"Ah, a new one. And the fledgling even dares to speak to me. How brave. On the contrary, I need her. And I also come here, not to kill—not yet, since that pleasure is reserved for someone else, but to recruit. I believe the sacrifice will be easier if our doppelganger has very little to live for? And what more effective way is there than for the love of her life to betray her?" Elijah said steadily, malice dripping elegantly from his voice, "Come to me and help me in beginning the new world order at the hands of vampires. Come, Damon, face your new destiny."

Shock rippled through the entire room, Elena even doubling over as if she was punched in the gut. Stefan held her steady but his eyes were trained on Damon, who was the only one who seemed oblivious as he started walking towards Elijah, taking his place on his left.

"No, Damon!" Elena cried out when she got her senses back, "Please. Don't do this. Don't listen to him. Bonnie, release him! Oh God, no, please no. Damon, listen to me."

She clutched her necklace as she pleaded with him, stepping forward but Stefan held her back by the waist even as she struggled against him.

"Damon, I know you're still in there and you can hear me. Please, come back to me." Elena said as tears streamed down her face, "You love me. I know that. It's what you told me that night even if I can't remember hearing you say it. I've always known that you love me and I'll still know it even if you compel me a thousand times. Always."

Damon stood expressionless, his blue eyes staring straight into Elena but without feeling or recognition. Elena looked at him, begging him with her eyes, ignoring the tight hold Stefan hand on her as she continued, "Damon, please. Tell me I got it right. Tell me you love me. I need to hear it. Just once. _Please."_

He remained stoic but before Elena lost all hope, a single tear fell from his eyes. She blinked in surprise and when she opened them again, they were already gone.


	5. Chapter 5: Fight the losing battle

**Blink**

**Disclaimer: The characters and other things from The Vampire Diaries don't belong to me. Credit goes to the rightful owners.**

**Chapter 5**

"Is it just me or did that Elijah guy mix up his facts?" Caroline said breaking the uncomfortable silence that settled after Damon and Bonnie vanished along with Elijah, "I mean love of Elena's life—Stefan not Damon. Wrong brother, right?"

Elena blinked rapidly, as if trying to wake up from a dream, snapping back to reality as she answered Caroline absently, "Yes, yes of course. Right. Stefan. Not Damon. Not Damon."

Stefan's hands around Elena's waist relaxed but he still held her in place, somehow sensing that the second he let her go, she would run after his brother.

"It's an easy mistake," Stefan said quietly, "It was Damon who staked him when we rescued Elena. Elijah probably made the connection from that."

Rose looked at Katherine, who merely shrugged and addressed everyone, "You're all missing the point. We're not here to figure out Elena's love life. Knowing who loves her or who she loves won't make a difference when Elijah is about to chop you up."

Katherine looked at each of them through narrowed eyes as she continued, "You do realize that Elijah just _compelled _Damon—a _vampire_. Do you not see the magnitude of what we're up against? Do you have no sense of self-preservation that you are still fixated on why Damon not Stefan? And might I remind you Damon is not just any old vampire but someone who knows exactly what our weaknesses are and one that some of us will have trouble actually killing if it came down to it—I'm talking to you Stefan. The turn of events beg the question—are you ready to kill your _brother_ for Elena?"

Katherine's mouth turned up in a malicious smile as she sat down and crossed her arms in front of her. "You hesitate where Damon would not even think twice. You're a fool, Stefan, if you think you can get out of this without making such a choice."

"Why didn't he just take me?" Elena said in a hollow voice as she stared blankly in front of her, "I was right here. He could have taken me and just let everyone else go. Why?"

"Do you not know the meaning of 'sacrifice', Elena?" Katherine said haughtily, "Intent, it's all about intent. This isn't just about gutting you over that moonstone—you need to want it. You need to want to shed all your precious blood because you want to save your love, just like the wife who died to protect her husband. And from the look in your eyes, how you watch everyone you love in this room just tremble in fear, you look like you're about to do just that."

"Don't listen to her," Stefan said immediately, reaching out from Elena, who edged away from him, wrapping her arms around herself.

Stefan withdrew and rounded on Katherine, "If you're not going to help, just shut the hell up because I'm sick and tired of your mind games."

"This isn't a game, Stefan," Katherine rose up again to meet him, "It stopped being one the second Elena was born. This is about survival and you don't seem to want it enough because you can't even man up to listen to the truth. You just want to live in your pretty little deluded world where I'm only a lying bitch. Well, Stefan, what if I'm not and someone really has to die to end all of this? What then?"

Stefan stood his ground, "Answer me this—what's in it for you? Why are you willing to save Elena?"

"Will you believe me if I say I'm doing it for you?" Katherine said tilting her head, a playful, teasing smile on her lips.

"No." Stefan answered scathingly.

Katherine shrugged nonchalantly, "Then let's go with this—an invincible vampire with a vendetta against me is not something I want to be around for."

"Better but not good enough. Out with it." Stefan said sharply.

"You know me so well and yet you can't seem to accept that you do. Denial? Is that what it's called, Stefan? Afraid to realize you still love me and my brilliant mind?" Katherine said smirking at him, "Final answer, are you ready Stefan? Here it goes—because I still need her for something else. But that diabolical plan can wait, for now I just need her alive."

"Don't look so surprised, Elena. Did you suddenly think I had a change of heart? That I began to see you as _family_?" Katherine laughed mockingly as she stood up, walked towards Stefan, and whispered in his ear, "Oh and about your little theory about Damon? The Originals don't make mistakes, Stefan. Never. Doesn't that just break your Elena-loving heart a little bit? You're not the love of her life. _She_ doesn't love you. But _I_ do."

* * *

"She's a piece of work isn't she?" Rose said, sitting next to Elena on the front steps of the Salvatore house.

"I want to be alone," Elena said quietly.

"I know but you shouldn't be." Rose said, "I'm a stranger in your life who cares not about boundaries or about giving you space if you're emotional. Trevor is dead and I want revenge. You're the key to that, therefore I'm watching over you until this all plays out."

Elena made no response as she continued to sit in silence, choosing to ignore Rose as she continued to clutch the pendant hanging from her neck.

"How did you get that back?" Rose asked her gently. "I remember Elijah ripped it off your neck. Why is it so important that you had to run back and get it?"

"I didn't. It was returned to me." Elena answered.

"By who?" Rose asked with innocent curiosity.

"Damon." Elena answered curtly.

"Ah, now it makes sense." Rose said with a sad but knowing smile, "You know I can answer your question, on whether you got it right or not…if he loves you."

"What do you mean?" Elena said finally turning to look at Rose.

"I should know… that was me once upon a time. I also loved someone who never loved me back, who only saw me as a friend. For five hundred years I played along, almost managing to convince myself it's good enough to be around him and hurt knowing that until the day he died his heart belonged to Katerina." Rose said softly, "But I shouldn't be surprised because even that is part of the curse."

Rose took a deep breath, "As a doppelganger, you attract the attention of vampires. They don't even see it coming. It's like a siren call. They don't even stand a chance. They just fall."

"You're saying Katherine made Trevor fall in love with him, the way Stefan and, I guess, Damon love me?" Elena said.

"Oh I didn't say the word _'love'_, did I?" Rose said with a soft smile, "They become obsessed, driven to the point of madness that they'd do anything for you, but it's not love. It's _why_ you draw them in that should interest you, Elena. Therein lies what you need to know to save yourself without having to become a vampire yourself."

Rose sighed and continued, "I can't believe I'm telling you this. As a vampire, I should want you to give us all the powers we lost but… There's a way out of the curse for you and you'll become the last Petrova doppelganger. You attract them because if you can make one truly fall in love with you and if he is willing to sacrifice himself, then you're free. The curse on the vampires will be sealed forever, locked in by our own kind."

"So between what Katherine said and what you just told me, there is absolutely no way that it can end well. Either someone I love dies for me, or I die to save him." Elena said in a flat, emotionless voice.

"I only said you'd be free. I never said you'd happy." Rose said, "That's why it's called a curse, Elena."

Rose stood up to leave but before she went back inside, she turned once more to Elena, "Katherine wasn't lying when she said the Originals don't make mistakes. Elijah didn't make one, not about something as important as this. He picked the one he was sure you'd die to save."

"Oh my God." Elena said, the full weight of Rose's words settling on her as she recalled her conversation with Damon before Bonnie forced them back into the house and sealed them in.

"What?" Rose asked confused as the color drained from Elena's face.

"I told Damon I wanted to save him as much as he wanted to save me." Elena gasped out, "Elijah must have heard that and thought…"

"Elena, it doesn't matter what he thought. It changes nothing. You know exactly why you want to save him—and that is the part that Elijah picked up. Not the words but the reason behind them. You know that right?" Rose said gently.

Elena bit her lip as her eyes glistened with tears, "I love Stefan. Damon helped save me but he's done so much to hurt me. Rose, he tried to kill Bonnie, abused Caroline and he snapped my brother's neck in front of me. It's a miracle they're all alive but that doesn't excuse what he did. How can anyone think I love him?"

Rose tilted her head at Elena, looking at her with a curious smile, "It's easy to say you love someone who's always been good to you like Stefan has been. It's not hard to fall for someone like him if Lexi is to be believed about what kind of man he is. It makes sense, which is why people have no trouble accepting that. But you know what speaks louder? It's that you kept Damon in your life after all of the things that you just told me. It is illogical and borderline crazy that you would still trust him with your life. And yet in the few days I've known you, I'm sure that you trust him completely. Elena, you only fight to forgive people you love because life is unimaginable without them. And besides, why do you need to hear it from Damon that he loves you, if it's really Stefan all along?"

"I—, "Elena started, her voice breaking before she could answer completely. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath to compose herself.

"How very tragic isn't it, Elena?" Katherine called out from behind Rose, "I see you've been getting well acquainted with your options, yet I get the feeling you're still looking for the 'none of the above' option. Sorry, there isn't one."

Elena glared at Katherine before turning to the other vampire, "Rose, you're much older than Katherine. Correct?"

Rose nodded slowly, "Yes."

"I want to do something…tell someone something I think Trevor should have told you in all these years. Will you help me?" Elena said as her eyes locked on Rose's

Rose nodded and in a flash pinned Katherine against the wall, practically choking her. "Go!" Rose said to Elena, who gave her a look of thanks before she reached for her back pocket, fished out the keys she stole earlier and got into Damon's car to speed off to the one place she imagined he would be.

* * *

"Damon." Elena called out as she stepped out of the car to stand before the ashes of her house.

Damon turned around, the emptiness in his eyes staring her in the face almost breaking her right then and there. Elena moved to come closer but Damon put out a hand signaling her to stop, the effort of the gesture showing on his face as he shut his eyes in pain as if he was struggling against the compulsion to do so.

"Stay back," Damon said, his voice broken and hoarse, "I was told to come here. I've been expecting you."

"Why?" Elena said keeping her distance obediently, refusing to cause him anymore pain, and finding that fighting the tears was easier if she didn't have to stand near him.

"I have…a…message…" Damon forced out, as if he was resisting the words that were coming out of his lips.

He breathed heavily as he paused, closing his eyes again and when he opened them, they blazed with such intense emotion that Elena's breath caught in her throat.

"Elena, run. Don't go back to the house. Just run. Get out of town. Don't look back," Damon said in a strangled voice. But Elena had no time to respond as she was slammed against a charred wooden post where the porch used to be, Damon's hand clutching her throat, the orders given to him by Elijah overriding everything else.

He breathed heavily as he tried controlling his strength so that his grip loosened slightly, losing the battle long enough to deliver the message in an empty voice, "You know what you need to do to save me. The moonstone and your blood, tomorrow night, go to the tomb."

"Damon, listen to me. You can fight this. Please, I know you can hear me." Elena said, her hands reaching up to his face, forcing him to look into her eyes.

Damon growled, the only thing he could do as he fought against the compulsion. His other hand slammed on the surface behind her as he fought his instincts while he continued to hold her by the neck. "I…can't…Elena…please…it hurts," Damon's voice breaking at the last words, sounding almost like a child.

"Damon, look at me. Focus, look at me," Elena pleaded with him, stroking his cheek. Damon leaned into her hand, his face relaxing only for a split second before his jaw clenched in an effort to control the rage that was contorting his features.

Damon pushed her further, the wood digging into her back, but she pressed towards him and touched her forehead to his, whispering to him, "Damon, do you remember when you saved me from the car wreck? You took me to Georgia on a time-out, telling me to step away from my life for just five minutes? Can you do that for me now? I'll be that Elena and you just be the Damon who promised me he'll keep me safe? Please?"

Damon kept his eyes connected to hers as he struggled to even speak, "Elena, I'm going to let you go and you need to run."

"No." Elena said resolutely, her hands firmly on either side of his head, "I'm not leaving without you."

"You have to. I can't protect you. I'm not worth saving, Elena. I never was." Damon said in a choked voice, the words clearly against the directions he was given, "I…I…don't deserve…you."

Tears fell freely from her eyes as she watched Damon force out the words, the pain familiar to her now, "That's why you compelled me to forget."

Damon closed his eyes and gave her the smallest of nods, as if that simple act was more difficult that standing upright. His hold on his consciousness was tenuous but he fought on.

"I told you…" Damon started, unable to continue.

"…you love me." Elena finished for him, her vision blurry with tears, barely seeing the pain on his face as he labored to say the words himself but found no energy except to look at her with a heartbreaking apology in his eyes.

Finally the strings that kept him sane snapped and his eyes flashed bright with renewed fury, emotions emptying out of him and leaving a void in its wake. Damon pushed her back roughly, his hand choking her now.

"Damon, have I lost you forever?" Elena whispered, throwing his words back to him, her voice weak as he held her painfully.

Damon's head snapped back in surprise, the fleeting moment returning him to reality once more, and he whispered, "Never."

He released her as a haunted look passed across his face because of what he had done.

"Run. Elena. Please. Next time I might not be able to stop it." Damon said before fleeing himself, disappearing from her sight.

"Damon!" Elena screamed, moving to follow him but finding herself rooted to the spot as she heard Elijah's voice carried in the wind.

"_Tomorrow night. Bring the moonstone.__ Make your choice. Your life or his."_

_

* * *

**A/N: Thank you so much for all the reviews! I love hearing from you. Anyway, hope you enjoyed that :)**  
_


	6. Chapter 6: The darkness that consumes

**Blink**

**Disclaimer: The characters and other things from The Vampire Diaries don't belong to me. Credit goes to the rightful owners.**

**Chapter 6: The darkness that consumes**

"Give me the moonstone," Elena said as she stormed into the living room of the Salvatore house, ignoring everyone else but Katherine, who merely smiled at her.

"Do I even need to ask how it went?" Katherine said casually, looking at her nails before smirking up at Elena, "Judging from the fresh tears, the angry red marks on your neck and your oh-so delicious determined tone, I'd say not so well."

"Elena, what's going on?" Stefan said approaching her cautiously, "You take off without a word and now you're back here demanding the moonstone. What is happening with you?"

Elena turned to him with a wild look in her eyes, her desperation clear on her face as she shook her head, "Katherine. Give me the moonstone."

"No." Katherine answered bluntly, "I'm not giving it to you. Live with it."

A low and unexpected growl came from Elena as she lunged at Katherine, who merely stepped aside and let her fall flat on her face. Stefan reached out to help Elena up but she refused his hand and faced off with Katherine again.

"Let me guess—he compelled you to bring it to him? Hmmm, but wait you're wearing that nifty little necklace with vervain in it so that can't be it," Katherine said trying to looked puzzled. She walked closer to Elena and looked straight into her eyes, snapped her fingers and gasped out, "I think I got it—you're doing this to _save _Damon, sacrifice yourself and all. Interesting, didn't he try to kill Jeremy or something? See, this is the part I don't understand—isn't_ Stefan_ your boyfriend? Or are you trying to tell us something…wait, are you admitting Elijah got it right? _Damon _is the love of your life?"

"Give me the moonstone," Elena repeated fiercely, unblinking as she faced Katherine.

"_No," _Katherine emphasized, "You listen to me, you little lovesick puppy. You do as Elijah says, and we're all dead. Do you hear me? All of us—you, me, Stefan, Damon and everyone else you care about. You think that once they get what they want they'll let us see another day? Oh, as vampires we'll get powers but not enough to match the ones Klaus will get considering he's actually _the_ Original. So, this is how it will go—you will sit down, and wait until we have a plan where we actually survive—then we can go and party with Elijah? Do you understand me?"

"No." Elena said stubbornly, "_This_ is how it will go—you're going to give me the moonstone. Caroline you will go get Tyler and Lucy will figure out a way to harness the power of the moonstone to trigger the werewolf transformation without a full moon. Alaric, I need you to learn the shaman's original spell and figure out how the reversal works. Jenna, Jeremy, I need you to be ready to figure out a way to get Bonnie—knock her out cold, whatever it takes. Katherine, Rose, I need you to be with me, ready to fight it out because they're not going to make this easy on us. And we're going to show up tomorrow night at the tomb to finish this."

Katherine began to applaud and smiled at Elena, "I have to say, I'm feeling pretty proud of you right now, Elena. Who knew you had it in you? What do you command Stefan to do though, oh fearless leader? He's going to feel left out you know."

"I need you to take Damon and run." Elena said turning to Stefan, her voice barely above a whisper, recalling the words Damon kept repeating to her just moments ago. _'Run, don't look back. Run, Elena. Please.'_

"You're telling me to _leave_ you behind and save him." Stefan said with a pained smile on his face.

"I can't risk him sacrificing himself for me. I can't let him die for me." Elena replied as fought the tears that threatened to fall.

"No, Stefan," Katherine interrupted, "actually, she's telling you she loves Damon."

"No!" Elena protested, pressing her lips together in a thin line, trying to keep her composure before she started again, "No. Stefan, I love _you_. I'm sure of that. But Damon…he…he's…Damon…just…_please_. I just can't allow him to die for me. I'm not worth it. He deserves better than that fate."

"Loving me doesn't mean you can't love my brother too." Stefan pointed out gently, his own words slicing through him as he waited for a denial that never came. Stefan nodded as Elena merely mouthed an apology to him through her tears.

"See, this is exactly why I wanted both Salvatore brothers to turn—life is simply more interesting, and mmm, your heartbreak is just delicious." Katherine said with a malevolent smile, "Pity your damsel in distress just can't seem to handle it so well. So afraid to make a choice, unlike me—just in case I haven't told you enough Stefan, I love _you_."

"Stay out of this, Katherine. This is between me and Elena." Stefan said angrily.

"Not quite—you forgot Damon. He's also part of this tragic little love triangle." Katherine pointed out.

"Enough," Stefan said cutting her off, "Elena, look, I'm not asking you to choose now or ever really. It's your call. We'll deal with this when we have to but right now we have to get rid of Elijah and end that curse once and for all. That means you can't leave me or Damon in the sidelines. I will do everything I can to save him but I'm not letting him hurt you, compelled or not if I have to I _will_ kill him." Stefan said solemnly to Elena.

"I'm never going to let you do that." Elena replied in a small but steady voice, holding her ground as she faced Stefan.

"Then let's hope it never gets to that." Stefan answered squarely.

"Heeey, what did we miss?" Caroline said smiling from the steps leading to the living room, a confused Tyler in tow, "Something that's apparently not fun considering all the serious faces. You all look like Stefan now, the extra-broody kind."

Caroline tugged on Tyler's arm, "Time for introductions—you know Elena, Jeremy and Jenna, all human. Lucy and Alaric over there are the magic folk—witch, shaman or whatever. And then we have Katherine, the one who looks like Elena, Rose and then you know Stefan—all vampires, like me. Then lastly there's you, Tyler—werewolf. Okay, everybody knows each other, just give a little wave and let's get down to business. Yes?"

"I'm sorry what did you just say?" Tyler said blanching slightly, going into shock.

"Oh, right, I forgot…Elena is also a doppelganger." Caroline said with a snap of her fingers, "Okay? Did I miss anything else?"

Tyler shook his head and turned around to walk out but Katherine moved with vampire speed to block his path, "Not so fast, werewolf. I was your uncle's girlfriend too and I just want to say I'm sorry for your loss. It must be _so_ hard to lose your father and uncle in the same year."

"Loss? What loss? Mason? He's dead?" Tyler said, his voice breaking as he absorbed the information.

"Yeah, that's what happens when your heart is ripped out your chest—you die. You can thank Damon for that when we see him." Katherine said tracing a hand down Tyler's chest before walking away.

"Tyler, don't listen to her." Stefan said as he cautiously approached him.

"Is she lying?" Tyler asked, his face contorted in anguish and turmoil.

"No." Stefan answered apologetically, "But it's not that simple…"

"He's either dead or he isn't, it's that simple so which is it?" Tyler said exploding, his rage bubbling under the surface.

"He's dead. I'm sorry, Tyler." Jeremy answered, cutting in front of Stefan, "Man, I'm sorry. I know it hurts and I know it sucks for us to ask you to help us right now, but this is your problem too. It's about the werewolf curse, my sister and everything else that's on the line because of that moonstone. Tyler, you have to help us."

"I can't believe this. I just…I can't…NO." Tyler muttered shaking his head, turning once more to leave before Caroline caught him by the arm, pulling him back to face her.

"Please, Tyler. We need you." Caroline pleaded, "Elena's life is on the line here…and the rest of us as well."

"These people killed my uncle, Caroline, and you want me to help them?" Tyler shouted at Caroline.

"Technically, it was just Damon. I'm just clearing that up." Katherine pointed out mischievously.

Tyler spun around to face her, his eyes glowing with anger, but Caroline forced him around again, "Yes, Tyler I want you to help Elena. I want you to help _me_. You can trust _me._ Please, Tyler, can't that be enough?"

Tyler's face softened but his uncertainty remained, "How? I've never even actually transformed, if you need me to help you that way. I know nothing about it. Who knows if I can even control it?"

"The moonstone," Lucy said finally speaking up, "it's power plus a spell will allow you to transform at will…and I just need to make sure you can keep your consciousness when that happens so you can fight but not be blind to the bloodlust."

Tyler hesitated but nodded in assent, "Who are we after? Damon?"

"Uh, no, we're actually trying to rescue him…" Caroline said trailing off, glancing at Elena who remained silent, "Look, Tyler, before you have a fit or something, this is just something bigger than you or Damon or all of us combined. We have a life and death moment here, Tyler—for everyone. So just please help us save the world first and vengeance later, okay?"

"Fine. But all bets are off after… whatever this is." Tyler said finally.

"Get in line, pup. We're all postponing settling scores till after the main event." Katherine said maliciously, clapping her hands after, "Okay, everyone get busy—we have less than 24 hours to ensure that we don't end up dead like Mason Lockwood."

Tyler moved to lunge at Katherine but Caroline pushed him away and pinned him against a wall, whispering in his ear until he calmed down.

Elena approached them, fidgeting as she did so, "Tyler, thank you. And I'm so sorry that you have to be a part of this mess."

"Look, Elena, you're my friend and I'll help you without question. But you know what I'm getting from what just went on? It's that somehow in the middle of preventing something apocalyptic, we're basically just protecting you and saving that murderer Damon. That's the part that gets to me, Elena. Why do I feel like you're going to ask me to spare him?" Tyler said shakily as he fought to stay calm.

Elena nodded, telling him silently that he got it right, "I'm so sorry but yes if I have to, I'll beg for his life. Please don't hurt him."

"Why?" Tyler said full of anguish, wanting but failing to comprehend Elena's motivations.

"Because I love him." Elena said simply, her own admission surprising her as calm slowly descended on her as the full weight of her words allowed her to accept the truth behind them.

"I can't promise you anything, Elena. But at least I can tell you, he won't die by my hands tomorrow I'll make sure of that. But after….I just don't know." Tyler said quietly as he walked past her to join Lucy who was waiting for him.

"Hey," Caroline said sympathetically, hugging Elena who cried silently on her shoulder, "Shhhh. It's going to be fine. You'll see. Damon's not easy to kill. He's the kind who survives fights without so much as a scratch you know? He's going to be fine."

Elena smiled and made a sound that was halfway between a laugh and a sob, "Why is it that you're not as against the idea of me…having feelings for Damon? Everyone else seems to find it repulsive, even me. I feel like I'm betraying Stefan."

"Okay, yes it is quite disgusting and I mean _ewww._ I haven't forgotten, you know, all the stuff he's done to me. Deliciously hot as he is, Damon is still the quintessential bad boy every girl should stay away from but is madly drawn to. You shouldn't even ask why everyone frowns on you caring for him. BUT he does have a heart. I saw that when he spared my mom and when he talked to her about me. Now, if he's like that towards you for even just half the time, then I'm saying I get it." Caroline said with a supportive smile.

"Besides," Caroline continued, "even when you hate him, he seems to really get to you and make you seem so alive—happy, sad, furious or just exasperated. It's funny to watch you deal with him, seriously. You sometimes turn purple even. Amusing I tell you. With Stefan, it's more like lava—you know, hot but moving steady and slowly. But with Damon, you're more like the volcanic explosion-sparks fly and chaos all around." Caroline said with a shrug.

"It's neither right nor wrong, Elena, to love Damon…or even Stefan. You kinda just do. Sometimes you just meet someone who has the power to kill you but you fall anyway because you just know in your gut that he'll never do it." Caroline said as she looked into the distance. Elena followed her line of sight and her eyes landed on Tyler who visibly struggled against the strain of his desire to just walk away from the madness.

"Oh, and Elena? You've said it once, so you can say it again. You don't have to keep referring to it as 'feelings'. It's okay to say you love him, even if Stefan flinches every time and Katherine looks like she's about to pee from the excitement of having history repeat itself." Caroline sighed and took a step in Tyler's direction, pausing briefly to say something, "And let Damon hear the words from you, I can't wait to see his reaction to _that._"

* * *

Damon struggled in the darkness using his hands to feel his surroundings. From the damp stone walls and the sound of trickling water echoing across the room, he guessed he was underground, maybe a cave or dungeon.

"Damon?" Bonnie said in a scared voice, "Is that you?"

"Witch? I mean, Bonnie?" Damon said turning his head sharply, his eyes adjusting to the blackness, finally recognizing the small huddled shape in the corner, "Where are we?"

"I don't know. I don't—" Bonnie said, panic rising in her voice.

"Can't you get us out with your magic voodoo?" Damon asked urgently.

"I can't seem to do magic here, at least not of that magnitude. Something is blocking it. I don't get it." Bonnie answered.

"Of course not. Do you take me for a fool?," Elijah said, his voice booming in the darkness, showing himself seconds later, standing outside their prison with a lone candle in his hand, "Since I still need both of you for my ritual tomorrow, I can't have your brains wither away under such powerful compulsion so I decided to keep you here so you can rest. But of course, I can't have you running away, now can I? Anyway, I leave you to enjoy the accommodations. Until then. By the way, Damon, I won't be so lax with my mind control tomorrow. Don't expect to breakthrough the compulsion again—I _let_ that happen earlier for dramatic effect and to push Elena a bit further to the edge. Don't be surprised if tomorrow you'll be the one to actually drain every drop of her blood over that moonstone. That is all for now, good night."

Damon roared and slammed himself on the bars that kept them prisoner, trying to break free to no avail. Frustrated and spent, he sank to the ground, punching it repeatedly in an effort to release his anger at something.

"Damon," Bonnie hissed, "Stop it. Don't waste your energy."

"No, I actually should, Bonnie," Damon answered, clearly aggravated, "If I don't have any strength left tomorrow then I can be killed. I won't be able to hurt anyone. I won't be able to hurt Elena."

Bonnie closed her eyes and sighed, "You really love her, don't you?"

"Gee, Bonnie, what gave me away?" Damon said sarcastically, "Was it when I tried to kill the people she cared about or when I made her drink my blood when she and Stefan beat me to the grimoire?"

"Will you be serious for just a minute? Of all people, you don't need to convince _me_ why none of this makes sense. Now, tell me, do you really love her?" Bonnie repeated.

"Yes," Damon finally said, losing the will to deny it, "I do. Happy?"

"No, not particularly but I believe you." Bonnie shot back, "Look, I can't get us out of here but I think I can find a way to preserve your consciousness even under compulsion. It'll be like you'll be watching yourself do things so if it gets really bad you just might be able to break through."

Damon paused, regarding the witch intensely before speaking, "At what cost?"

"I can only do it for one of us, meaning tomorrow I'll be completely under." Bonnie said

"Then, thanks but no thanks. Do it for yourself, not me. With the magic you can do, it makes more sense for you to do it." Damon said shaking his head.

"What? Damon, you heard Elijah. You need to able to snap out of it if he orders you to sacrifice her." Bonnie argued.

"No. I won't risk your life. If you help me, then you're going to be neck deep in danger. No, Elena can't lose anyone else in her life. She's gone through enough." Damon replied.

"Exactly. Damon, as much as I hate to admit it, it will destroy her to lose you. She begged me for your life, not just because of what she said about us being good people, but because she couldn't watch you die. I'm her best friend," Bonnie said with a shrug, "I could tell that the desperation in her voice mostly had to do with you burning to ashes before her eyes. She cares, even after everything, she will always find ways to save you and I'm just helping her do that. So will you please _let me._"

Damon gave her a questioning smile, vulnerability written all over his face, "You really think she cares that much? I figured she just had a heroic complex or she was doing it for Stefan."

"All of the above." Bonnie answered honestly, clutching her knees to her chest, "She's just that kind of person. She cares. But with you, she's learned to forgive the unforgiveable and find reasons to see some humanity in you that everyone else just gives up on."

Damon blew out a breath and asked, "You think she can love someone like me?"

Bonnie shook her head and smiled tiredly at Damon, "Would I even offer something like this if she didn't already?"

She stood up and offered her hand to him, "Come on, get up. Let's do this."

Damon took it and brushed himself off, "Thank you, Bonnie…just…thank you."

"Just promise me one thing," Bonnie said, "If we make it through this and she somehow chooses you in the end…be the man that she believes is worth saving. Don't break her heart and if you think you're going to…just walk away."

Damon nodded, his eyebrows knit together in determination as he placed both his hands in Bonnie's. He listened to her chanting, the words intoxicating him as warmth spread throughout his body. He closed his eyes as his world began to spiral out of control, his thoughts straying to Elena at the last second before he plunged into infinite darkness.

_I love you._

_I'll fight for you because it's the only thing I know._

_I'll be anything you need me to be—friend, enemy, hero, or just someone who needs to leave you alone. Anything._

_I will protect you. I will always find ways to protect you._

_I don't deserve you. _

_But I love you just the same._


	7. Chapter 7: Bleed

**Blink**

**Disclaimer: The characters and other things from The Vampire Diaries don't belong to me. Credit goes to the rightful owners.**

**Chapter 7: Bleed**

Damon watched Elena come down the steps towards the antechamber of the tomb. Her face held a guarded expression as she walked in alone, moonstone in one fist and the other so clenched tightly that her knuckles turned white. He wanted to tell her to get the hell away or to just stand close to him but he was trapped in his own body, able only to watch her walk into certain death.

Elena felt her heart slam against her chest as she fought the fear that was trickling down her spine with every step she took towards Elijah. She looked directly at the old vampire, refusing to even acknowledge the presence of Damon and Bonnie, who both stood like expressionless guards waiting for marching orders.

"Your companions don't need to hide. I know they're all here. Please, tell them to come out. This moment deserves an audience." Elijah said with false benevolence, "If anything, Katerina should witness the fate she escaped once before."

The air around them was still as no one came forward. Elijah shook his head, "Suit yourself. Now, hand over the moonstone."

Elena held out her hand and opened her fist, "Come and get it."

"I don't think so," Elijah said with a knowing smile, "Damon, please get the moonstone from Elena."

Elena's eyes widened slightly in surprise but she held her palm steady as Damon approached her. She watched him take slow and deliberate steps towards her. Elena shot him a look, trying to decipher if she could once again get through to him but only vacant eyes stared back at her.

"Damon?" Elena asked softly when he was close enough to touch, "We're going to figure this out, okay?"

'_I don't see how,'_ Damon thought to himself, failing to find the key to say the words aloud, his heart breaking as he saw how hard she was trying to just keep it together.

Before Damon could reach out and take the moonstone, Elena placed it in his palm and closed his fingers around it, her hand lingering for a few seconds longer than necessary before stepping back.

'_Run. You'll die if you stay. Run. I can't protect you._' Damon cried out in his head, blinding rage tearing through him, but his façade remained calm and unaffected as he clutched the moonstone.

"Perfect. Now, Damon just set it down in front of Bonnie so she can begin." Elijah commanded, keeping his eyes on Elena, watching her intently as her eyes followed Damon's movements.

"You're not going to get away with this." Elena said through gritted teeth as she watched Bonnie close her eyes and start chanting inaudibly at first, then her voice began to fill the entire space.

"How little faith you have, Elena. Didn't you see how I cannot be killed?" Elijah said nonchalantly, "You, on the other hand, are a fragile and breakable creature, driven wholly by emotions instead of logic, not to mention incredibly foolish. If not for the blood running through your veins, you would be insignificant. Be thankful you're the Petrova doppelganger or you would simply be one of the forgotten ones in history."

"I won't let you break the spell." Elena said, her voice trembling at the last word.

"Cold feet? Changing your mind at the last minute? But we've already started and have you forgotten what's at stake?" Elijah said nodding in Damon's direction, "Well, okay if you insist. Damon, take the stake from your pocket and drive it through your heart."

"No! No! Take it back! Damon, don't listen to him!" Elena pleading with him desperately, shaking as she watched Damon obey mutely, reaching behind him for the weapon.

Elijah shrugged, "Okay, I take it back. Damon, don't kill yourself—yet. See how easy that was, Elena?"

The noise around them grew and Elijah frowned, noting the changes in the sound. He closed his eyes and listened intently to the chanting. "Wait, why hasn't the witch finished yet?"

Elena slowly began to move to her left as Elijah's eyes flew open in fury when he realized there was another voice in the fray, one that was growing in power over Bonnie's, "I should have known your pitiful excuse for a conversation had another purpose but thankfully I'm not easily distracted. Now, tell them to stop interfering or Damon will just have to continue with his suicide."

"Tyler now!" Elena screamed as she dropped to the ground when the werewolf flew over her head, aimed directly for Elijah.

But Tyler slammed straight into an invisible barrier, throwing him back a few feet. He growled as he regained his footing, testing the shield around the vampire. He paced in front of Elijah, fangs snapping at the barrier in defiance.

"You're a fool, girl. I'm an Original. I've been around and it's going to take more than _that_ to pull one over me." Elijah spat out furiously, glaring at Elena.

"No, I'm not a fool," Elena said as she watched Tyler try again and this time managing to somehow successfully penetrate the barrier as Lucy cast a spell to bind Bonnie for a few seconds, allowing Caroline to knock her unconscious from behind.

"Sorry, Bonnie. It's just part of the grand master plan," Caroline said dragging the body to where Jeremy was hidden so he could take her to Jenna, who was waiting in the getaway car. Lucy picked up the moonstone and tossed it to Alaric, who caught it deftly with one hand.

The stone glowed bright in his fist as he held it high, blinding everyone momentarily, casting an eerie light over the scene. Alaric staggered underneath the power of the moonstone but Lucy held him in place, saying the words with him as beams of light began to erupt from the surface of the stone.

Tyler roared in agony when he was hit by a ray from the moonstone, howling as he pulled back from his attack on Elijah. The vampire took advantage and turned to Damon, "Kill her! Do it now!"

Elena watched in horror, frozen in place on the floor, as Damon approached with cold-blooded speed, eyes filled with nothing but murder.

But Rose blocked his path, both hands slamming on his chest to push him back. Damon fell hard but got up quickly and moved in again, determined to get past Rose and complete his mission.

"Elena, run!" Rose barked out, crouched low and ready to pounce. From behind her, Elena felt Stefan's hands pulling her up, ready to take her to safety. She felt the tug on her shirt but she ignored it as she watched Katherine emerge from the darkness with breathtaking ferocity as she approached Elijah, stepping in for the wolf who was still trying to get his bearings.

"I've waited so long for this day, Katerina," Elijah hissed as he circled her, "We finally get to finish what we started."

"Yes, today I kill Klaus' messenger. That's all you are—a pawn. I bet he won't even miss you." Katherine taunted Elijah before engaging him, both of them moving in blinding speed.

"Elena, let's GO!" Stefan said urgently, practically dragging her away, snapping her back to reality.

Elena straightened up but made no move to leave, finally daring to return her attention to the fight she most feared to watch.

Rose was older and much stronger than Damon, able to pin him down more than just once. But Damon was a man possessed by higher power that commanded him to kill, a single purpose to exist, allowing him to channel all his energy into attaining that goal without care for anything else. Rose was fast and she only saw the stake that came at her, but not the hand that plunged into her back and ripped her heart out. Rose's eyes widened, her mouth hung open in shock before she shriveled into a lifeless corpse. Damon unceremoniously dropped the cadaver on the ground before turning with unbearable slowness to Elena.

"No…" Elena said weakly as she felt Stefan's hand let her go.

"I'm sorry, Elena. I can't let him…I won't let him kill you." Stefan said pushing her behind him, keeping her from Damon's sight.

"Stop right there, Damon" Stefan called out to his brother who merely looked at him, pausing as instructed.

"I have to kill Elena." Damon said in a monotonous voice, emotionless and empty, that shattered Elena's resolve to stay calm.

"Damon, please. You have to fight this," Elena cried out, hysteria clear in her voice as she sobbed from behind Stefan, "Please. I beg you. You need to listen to me. Snap out of it, dammit!"

"I have to kill you," Damon said, his voice finally breaking, anguish clear on his face as he stood in front of his brother, "Whatever it takes. I'll do it."

"Then you have to go through me," Stefan challenged.

"So be it." Damon responded with a resigned sigh, the only apology he could offer to them. He lunged towards his brother, a flurry of movements both brutal and graceful—a fatal choreographed dance. Stefan matched Damon for every blow, taking a hit then giving it back, one after the other—truly relentless warriors.

"Stop it! No! Stefan! Damon! Stop this!" Elena said practically incoherent as she said anything and everything that came to mind, hoping she'll find the right words to keep the Salvatore brothers from killing each other.

And just when it seemed like the dance would never end, Stefan emerged with the upper hand, ready to stake his Damon who lay defenseless on the ground.

Damon nodded and closed his eyes standing up, seemingly unstable as he simply waited for the impact. Elena understood his resignation and moved fast, as if possessed by a force beyond comprehension, to shield Damon and finding herself an inch from having her heart staked by Stefan.

"NO! I can't let you kill him!" Elena cried out, even as Damon snaked an arm around her neck, ready to snap it any second, once again a slave to Elijah's compulsion.

"Why not!" Stefan shouted back, letting out all his frustration and anxiety over having to fight his own brother, torn with the decision he made to save Elena and not Damon.

"He won't kill me." Elena said in a confident voice, sure and strong even as Damon prepared to prove her wrong.

"I will," Damon whispered in her ear, finding a small window through the compulsion "I will, Elena. Please don't trust me."

"No, you won't. Or you would have already tried and I wouldn't be talking to you right now. "Elena answered Damon, keeping her eyes trained on Stefan as she held a hand in front of her to force some space between them.

"Let him kill me, Elena, please. If I die, I can't hurt you. It's the only way," Damon said, his voice raw with emotion as he struggled to keep himself from crushing her or breaking her, "Stefan, do it. _Now."_

"Stefan, don't you dare." Elena said with a desperate warning in her tone, "Damon, do not give up. Please."

"I can't. It's the only way to save you." Damon said in a choked voice as he tightened his hold on her, making her grasp for air.

Elena's breath hitched in her throat as Stefan moved closer, shaking his head, as he readied himself to pull Elena free and end Damon's struggle.

Elena closed her eyes in surrender, and whispered to Damon as she felt his tears on her shoulder, "Damon, I love you."

Her words caused Stefan to pause in shock, hearing the words from her lips, the truth behind it clear in her voice, breaking his heart. He watched as Damon's hand fell away from her, releasing Elena only for a few seconds before taking her by the shoulders and turning her around, crushing her to his chest in a tight embrace.

Damon breathed in everything about Elena as he held her to him, his jaw clenched in concentration as he committed the feeling to memory. He was finally free from Elijah's compulsion. He closed his eyes tightly, eyebrows knit together as he whispered to her, "You shouldn't have risked your life like that. Not for me. Don't ever trust me like that again, putting everything on the line. We could have lost you."

Elena pulled back and placed both hands on either side of Damon's face. "Look at me, Damon. I saved you for selfish reasons, if that makes it easier for you to accept what I did." Elena said with a faint smile on her face, "It's because I can't let you go. I can't say goodbye to you. Even when I hated you, I found my instincts still telling me I can trust you. Even then, I couldn't cut you out of my life. I'm not going to start now because I need you."

Damon held his lips together in a thin line as he nodded to her, placing his hands on her wrists, pulling her hands down.

"I get it. You love me." Damon said as he leaned in and kissed her on the forehead before turning to his brother, pushing Elena protectively behind him as he spoke, "You just missed your chance to get rid of me, Stefan. You should have staked me when you had the chance. Now we're back to a lifetime of misery for you."

Stefan rolled his eyes before taking his position beside his brother, both of them standing in front of Elena, "Like I'd have it any other way. Life just wouldn't make sense anymore. How do we take him down?"

"Stake him, rip his heart out, something poetic." Damon said grinning maliciously.

"That didn't exactly work out the last time you tried that on Katherine," Stefan pointed out.

"Locked her in the tomb—that counts as poetic, Stef. Even Katherine will agree to that. But for Elijah, I say we go with just plain dead—burn him and then go on a road trip, sans bonding, to scatter his ashes all over the country."

Stefan shook his head, turning his attention to the fight before them. They surveyed the scene to find Alaric and Lucy fully concentrated but seemingly facing an impossible task of extracting the single drop of blood contained in the moonstone to forever seal the sun and moon curse.

Suddenly, they heard Caroline's scream pierce the night, full of terror and shock as they watched Tyler fall in slow motion, bleeding profusely when Elijah finally got the upper hand. Katherine snarled as she kicked a whimpering Tyler to the side, "Elena! Make yourself useful and get Tyler patched up. Move!"

Without warning, Caroline howled and ran straight for Elijah without thinking, consumed by the possibility of Tyler dying on her. Elijah merely shook his head, appearing to have only flicked her away but the power behind the action became obvious when Caroline slammed against the rock wall, causing it to shudder on impact. A trail of blood followed Caroline's body as it slid to the ground, limp and unmoving.

Even at full speed, Stefan and Damon knew they wouldn't be able to catch up with Elijah as he moved towards the moonstone, advancing with such momentum that before they could blink, Lucy was already a bleeding and crumpled heap on the ground. Alaric struggled to hold on to the spell alone, the light emanating from the moonstone faltering slightly as Elijah reached out to choke the shaman.

"Wait, leave him alone," Elena called out holding a jagged piece of rock to her arm, cutting herself "I'll give you my blood. I'll break the curse, just spare him."

Elijah smiled, already reveling in his imminent success as he gestured for Elena to come closer. Elena walked forward, her arm bleeding, each drop burning holes into the ground as it fell, reacting to the magic surrounding them.

Stefan exchanged a look of understanding with Damon, nodding in agreement as they rushed into action. Stefan ran to Alaric, knocking him down and taking the moonstone from him, tossing it to Damon, who bit his wrist and started to pour out his blood on the stone. All eyes turned to him as his blood swirled into the stone, creating a hypnotic pattern that held everyone's attention.

"Damon! No!" Elena cried out, rushing forward, the only one oblivious to the magic of the moonstone. Stefan held her back only half-heartedly, also transfixed on the moonstone.

Damon just gave her a beatific smile as life drained out of him, "My turn to be the hero, Elena."

Elijah's face turned ugly as it was contorted with his wrath, shocked that the curse was being lifted for the doppelganger and not for vampires.

But Katherine still had another trick up her sleeve. She moved towards Stefan, taking him by the neck to forcibly pull him off Elena.

"What are you waiting for, Elena? Go!" Katherine yelled as she held Stefan with an unbreakable grip, who finally realized what was happening.

Elena made a break for it, taking advantage of Damon's weakened state to take his bleeding wrist from above the stone, to allow her to let her own blood pour into it.

"No…" Damon whispered in faint voice, unable to protest completely.

Elena wasn't able to stop the flow from his hand as hers began to trickle down. They watched as his blood mingled with hers, a single drop that fell neatly on the moonstone before Elijah snatched it away.

The world went still for just a second, placing everything in suspended motion. The moonstone glowed brilliantly white, illuminating the frightened look on Elijah's face before it exploded in his hand, shattering into a million pieces.

And then there was only silence.

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**_A/N: Thanks again for all the reviews! I love hearing from all of you. Hope you enjoyed this update :)_**


	8. Chapter 8: Aftermath

**Blink**

**Disclaimer: The characters and other things from The Vampire Diaries don't belong to me. Credit goes to the rightful owners.**

**Chapter 8: Aftermath**

Elena opened her eyes and tried to place exactly where she was her, head throbbing in protest with the simple action. Everything seemed unfamiliar, unsettling her as she surveyed her surroundings. She noted the dark and ornate furniture that filled the room, which was in stark contrast to the simple but extremely comfortable bed she woke up in.

"Ah, sleeping beauty has finally opened her eyes. Tell me, Elena, which prince kissed you awake?" Katherine asked from a chair in the darkest corner of the room, standing up to walk towards the bed.

Elena wanted to run but found she only had strength to push herself back on the wall, "Stay away from me. What do you want, Katherine?"

"You remember my name, that's good." Katherine said sitting casually on the side of the bed as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

"What do you want?" Elena repeated furiously, looking wildly around her for any weapon or escape.

"To talk. To say goodbye…for now at least. Take advantage, Elena. I'm giving you all the answers you want—free of charge. But under a time limit though because I'm gone the moment the Salvatore brothers come back."

"Where am I?" Elena asked tentatively, unsure if she could trust Katherine.

"The Salvatore boarding house, which you're very familiar with" Katherine answered, looking very bored, "Oh but maybe not this part of the house. You're in Damon's room to be exact. I'm sure Stefan would have protested but it wasn't as if anyone could do anything about it given Damon was the first to wake and by the time everyone else did, he had already taken you here. Think white knight with the damsel in distress."

Elena shook her head in confusion, "Where are they now? Where's Jeremy…and Jenna? What happened to my friends? What happened? I don't…"

"Shhh, no need to panic." Katherine said wickedly, "Don't worry your pretty little head, it's a harmless game of find the wolf. Well, as long as Tyler doesn't suddenly decide to bite them at least. They should be back shortly—an injured, bleeding and confused werewolf shouldn't be difficult to track down. They're all fine. Well, Caroline knocked out Bonnie pretty hard so she's still sleeping it off in the guest room but generally they're all just a-ok. You're really the one who got the worst of it."

Katherine shifted slightly so she faced Elena directly, "About what happened, let me ask you first—what's the last thing you remember?"

Elena frowned, struggling to piece together fragments in her head, the images flickering and fading before she could grasp anything. "I can't…I can't…"

Katherine's head turned sharply at her, alarm clear in her eyes for just a second before a mask of indifference slid over it, "It's a good thing I know you're a terrible liar or I'd think you're playing a part right now. This is a very interesting turn of events. Amnesia and the doppelganger—I like the sound of that."

Elena glared at Katherine as she lifted one hand to position herself better against the wall. She gasped as she noticed the bandage on it, finally registering the dull pain that came from it. In a trance, Elena clutched at the end of the gauze and slowly began to unravel the covering to reveal the slice on her arm—a barely healed jaggedly cut line. Elena traced the wound as she whispered to Katherine, flashes of events ran through her mind—someone pulling Stefan away to allow her to go to Damon, ordering her to run "You planned all this."

Katherine smiled at her in response, "I'll take credit for everything except your little love story with Damon. But I have to say, it worked out much better than I had hoped for—at least Stefan didn't have to be in the middle of it all, he's nursing a broken heart and I have a shoulder he can cry on. Perfect. And you also solved the pesky little obsession Damon had with me. It's win-win if you think about it."

"But yes," Katherine continued, "I did plan all this all the way back in 1864—making sure they both fell in love with _me_, then faking my own death and leaving both Salvatore brothers dead to wake up as vampires—it was always going to lead to this point. You see Elena, I traced my bloodline to Mystic Falls. The descendants of the daughter I had never even touched somehow found their way her and I knew it was only a matter of time before a doppelganger was born into this disaster of a town."

"What do Damon and Stefan have to do with that? You should have left them out of it," Elena said, anger rising in her as she digested exactly how manipulative Katherine was.

But Katherine only shot her a curious look, one corner of her mouth turned up. "Interesting how you now put Damon first when you talk of them. Is it really that easy to choose, Elena?" Katherine said before shrugging her shoulders not waiting for an answer, "Remember what I said about sacrifice Elena? I needed to give the Petrova doppelganger motivation and what better way than to do that than give her two beautiful boys to play with. I needed them to shape her life and make sure that she would behave exactly as you did tonight. They couldn't have done that if they had to deal with human mortality, they wouldn't have lived long enough. I had no guarantee you'd be born in that generation so I made alternative arrangements. You would never have met them if it weren't for me."

Katherine turned away from Elena as she continued, "I needed one brother to be the prince—to sweep you off your feet and draw you into our world. Stefan obviously fit the bill with his ever proper behavior. On the other hand, Damon was a shoe in for the role as the jealous brother who would make love impossible for you and Stefan. I needed him to make you stronger and force you to learn how to fight for that love. I just didn't expect you'd fall for the bad guy."

"Because _you_ didn't—you went ahead and fell in love with Stefan," Elena pointed out.

"Also not in the plan—me falling in love. Glad to know you acknowledge it as a fact. They were supposed to just be pawns but it is what it is. I love Stefan." Katherine said matter-of-factly, "And yes, I assumed you would do the same and fall for his swoon-worthy qualities. Irrelevant now, since you still got the job done."

"What job would that be? To have my life and everyone I love dragged into a web of curses and sacrifices? For what? So you can be free of the price on your head?" Elena said angrily.

"I still have a death sentence running after me, Elena. In case you've forgotten, we only killed Elijah and not Klaus. Why do you think I have to leave now? If I had a choice, I'd never leave Stefan." Katherine said scathingly, "The original curse was about balance and it was never meant to be broken. Your sacrifice was going to undo all of that and Damon's would have freed you and every Petrova left on this planet—correct? But combined, you destroyed the key, making everything permanent and killing an Original in the process. Lovely how that played out, isn't it? The vampires and the werewolves will forever be confined to their places in this world with limited power. Forever cursed as the humans continue their ignorant lives. How profound."

"You know what I don't understand is that you're a vampire and you don't want the curse broken. Yes, Klaus will become invincible but isn't he practically that way now? Curse broken means you gain as he does—the odds remain the same. You will have to run either way," Elena said slowly, eyeing Katherine carefully, "What aren't you saying?"

"Think Elena—this means there are still werewolves out there who can kill Klaus, since he never became invincible. It means that someday, I won't have to run anymore and I can move on to Phase 3. Besides, do you really think I'm that much of a monster that I'd want to unleash such savagery onto this world? Think about it Elena—humans would be considered an endangered species by the end of this decade if you allow vampires to run rampant on the streets, feeding on anyone as and when they feel like it. I'm merely preserving my food source, Elena. I like to think of it as being conscious of the big picture, which Klaus in all his centuries is still impossibly self-absorbed." Katherine reasoned out, looking at Elena directly.

"No, there's another reason why you want things to stay as they are. Human life is irrelevant to you—just little pieces in whatever game you decide to play. And now you're telling me that you actually value it?" Elena said in disbelief.

Katherine merely turned away and stood up, "Time is up, Elena. But before I go, think about this—we all came from the human race. Werewolves and vampires all have human roots. I was _born_ into this world, Elena. I didn't suddenly pop up as a bloodthirsty creature. I had a father, a mother, sisters and a daughter who was taken from me, who I never even got to hold. I'm old but I haven't forgotten, Elena. The Originals may have but not me. And I'd like to think that in pushing you to ensure that balance is kept I never will forget. I did my part in forcing you to end it so that no other Petrova doppelganger will be born. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go find a powerful werewolf to end the oldest vampire in existence. Too bad Tyler is still just a pup."

"Wait," Elena called out, causing Katherine to pause, "Phase 3…You didn't save the future of humanity or our bloodline, but the possibility that you can still rejoin it. That's it, isn't it? You're making sure vampires don't erase humanity so that there's still something to come back to—you want to be human again."

Katherine turned around with a malevolent smile on her lips, "Why do you think I had to be around the moonstone when it exploded? Tell Stefan and Damon the race is on…oh, and Caroline too. Even with an unconscious vampire it should still work. Until next time, Elena…that's if you figure it out."

Elena blinked and Katherine was gone, the window left open remained the only evidence she was even there.

The sound of a throat being cleared drew her attention to the doorway. Damon leaned casually against the frame with a serious look on his face that was a cross between apprehension and concern.

They stared at each other, each unsure of what to say or do now that the dust had finally settled and the only thing left was the two of them.

"Katherine's gone," Elena said breaking the silence, pointing to the window behind her.

"I expected as much. I think she never stays too long so people gasp when she makes a dramatic return. Very theatrical, that one." Damon said pushing off the door frame and walking towards Elena, "How do you feel?"

"I'm in your room." Elena said slowly, "you brought me here."

"I didn't ask you where you were, Elena." Damon said tilting his head to look at her with concern, "Let's try again—how do you _feel_?"

"I hurt all over, my head feels like it's about to explode and this cut on my arm feels raw." Elena said rapidly. She took a deep breath before swinging her legs over by the side of the bed to stand up.

"I'm in your room." Elena repeated, facing Damon squarely.

"Nice isn't it? Very masculine." Damon said with a smirk, clearly amused by the frustration on Elena's face.

"You _left _me _here_ with _Katherine_." Elena emphasized.

"Technically, I left you here alone with Caroline standing guard outside. It's not my fault that Caroline somehow figured that since Katherine hasn't killed you, it would be okay to leave you alone with the psychotic bitch. I apologize and for what it's worth I came rushing right back when I realized what she did." Damon answered, "So, I take it she told you a wealth of lies since that's her favorite pastime and you look like you had a dose of information overload. Feel like sharing?"

"Elena!" Stefan said rushing past Damon, heading straight for Elena, wrapping her in his arms, "Are you hurt? Did Katherine do anything to you?"

"She's fine, Stefan, other than the fact that you're cutting off her oxygen, she's perfectly fine." Damon said rolling his eyes as he watched the pair, careful to conceal the pangs of jealousy that he felt.

"Stefan," Elena said pushing him away gently, "I'm fine. Physically hurt but nothing I can't handle."

"Oh, so we're _not _back to _that_." Damon said smirking as he took in the hurt look on Stefan's face, "Glad to know I can finally get out of being the designated third wheel. Or at least hope for it."

"Damon…" Elena said with a warning in her voice as Damon merely put up both hands as his defense.

"Cut me some slack, Elena. It's only sarcasm." Damon said turning unexpectedly serious, an apologetic smile on his face, "It's hard not knowing where you stand with the love of your life."

"Damon…" Elena repeated, a hint of sadness and desperation in her voice, her eyes shining with the beginnings of tears.

"Just tell us what she said, Elena. Or not. It's late we don't have to do this now. You need to rest." Damon said cutting her off.

Elena frowned at Damon but answered anyway, "It's not over. Apparently what we did with the moonstone just paved the way for her to regain her humanity…and yours. She said to tell you the race is on."

"Yeah, I'm not playing that game. Whatever it is, I'm not going to be a part of it. She wants to turn human, fine by me. As long as she keeps well out of Elena's life, I don't care if she suddenly becomes a soccer mom. Have to say, I'm a bit surprised she wants that." Damon said shaking his head.

"You don't want to be human again?" Stefan asked his brother, clearly contemplating the possibility himself. Elena looked at Damon in silence, the same question plain on her face.

Damon took a deep breath and looked Elena in the eye, "I can't protect you, Elena, if I'm not what I am. And I'd rather be a monster if that means I'm able to keep you alive. I can't be selfish…not when it comes to you. So no, I don't want to be human again."

"You don't dream of a house with white picket fences, kids running around and us growing old together?" Elena asked Damon with longing in her voice.

"That's not me, Elena," Damon said with a note of sadness that none of them could even touch, "I don't dream of things I know I don't deserve."

"Say it again…whatever it was you told me that night you returned my necklace. The words you compelled me to, say them again. I need to hear it." Elena said hoarsely, forgetting they had an audience, focusing only on the broken man in front of her.

Damon frowned, undecided even as he walked towards Elena. He took a deep breath and smiled tiredly at her as he repeated his words from that night, "I just have to say something. It's probably the most selfish thing I've ever said in my life."

"I just have to say it once. You just have to hear it," Damon continued, his voice already breaking as he recalled that night.

"I love you, Elena." Damon said simply as he did the first time, meaning it even more the second time

"And it's because I love you that I can't be selfish with you…why you can't know this. I don't deserve you. But my brother does," Damon continued, breaking eye contact with Elena to nod to Stefan.

He turned back his attention to Elena, whose tears had already begun to fall. Damon stepped closer to her, smiled sadly at her as he caught her tears with his hand, "God I wished you didn't have to forget it, but you had to. And now you know."

Damon closed his eyes as he leaned in and kissed Elena on the forehead, coming full circle from that night. Elena closed her eyes, completely overwhelmed by his confession that she could only concentrate on breathing, unable to process anything else. Damon pulled back and let her go, glancing at Stefan who was stoic as he watched Elena battle with her emotion.

Damon let out a deep breath as he turned to leave but Stefan's hand pulled him back as Elena called out his name.

"Damon…" Elena said softly as she stood in place.

"I'll go." Stefan said to his brother, "this is your story now." He nodded to Elena before he left, acknowledging the apology she mouthed silently to him.

Elena walked towards Damon once they were alone, placing both her hands in his, opening her mouth then closing it again as she wrestled with the rush of everything she wanted to tell him and the release from the weight of not knowing why her heart felt broken.

Through tears, Elena merely shrugged and spoke the only words she was capable of, "I love you, Damon. That's all I have. Don't put me on a pedestal and think you don't deserve me. It's just me, Damon. And I love you. That's all that matters and I hope that's enough."

Damon tilted his head back, face up towards the ceiling, trying to steady himself before he spoke again.

"It's enough for me, " Damon said finally, facing Elena, closing his eyes as he leaned in to kiss her, his lips erasing every second of heartbreak he once compelled her to forget.

* * *

_**A/N: Almost done with this fic :) Just have the epilogue to go...although seriously contemplating the possibility of a sequel. What do you think? Anyway, thanks again for reading ...especially for the reviews. They make my day :P Hope you enjoyed this update and hope you read the next one!**_


	9. Epilogue: Full Circle

**Blink**

**Disclaimer: The characters and other things from The Vampire Diaries don't belong to me. Credit goes to the rightful owners.**

**Epilogue: Full circle**

"Going somewhere?" Damon called out to his brother who was busy filling up a suitcase on his bed, "And here I was looking forward to fighting you for Elena."

"I'm not going to fight you, Damon." Stefan said without turning around as he picked up a few more items around his room to put in his suitcase.

"Again, I say, why? I'd fight me." Damon said with a smirk, his fists up in front of him, jabbing at the air in front of him, "Seriously, Stefan, what is all this? Why are you leaving?"

"Isn't the appropriate question 'where are you going'?" Stefan responded refusing to look at his brother as he kept moving about.

"No. I already know the answer to that—you're going after Katherine. What I'm curious about is the reason behind it. Don't tell me after all your pronouncements that she is a backstabbing, lying and manipulative bitch you suddenly believe her quest for humanity is real. I'd rather hear that you're going after her to chop off her head." Damon said as he eyed his brother carefully, watching for signs that he hit the target on the nose.

Stefan finally paused and turned to face Damon, "Is it bad to want to be human again? To not be trapped in violence? Is it bad, Damon, to want another shot at what Katherine took away from me all those years ago?"

"You think it's going to help you win Elena back." Damon said in reply, skipping steps in the conversation and diving in straight to the point.

Stefan closed his eyes briefly and sighed before replying to his brother, "If it happens, I'll be in a position to give her a normal life—house, kids, backyard and a dog. I want it for myself Damon but yes, I do think I'll be able to give her a better choice if she wants one. But if in the end she still wants you, I won't stand in the way. Nothing has changed, Damon—I still love Elena."

Damon clenched his jaw as he stared straight at Stefan, "I won't stop you from leaving but I'm not about to throw a party after you leave. There's no point in celebrating the imminent death of this tragic love triangle we have going on if you're coming back anyway. But fair warning brother, Katherine will never let you get away with it if A-only one vampire from that night can become human or B-if she finds out you're doing it for Elena or C-all of the above. The bitch loves you but she won't be a martyr for that love. This is just one of her games and after everything I can't believe you can't see right through it."

Stefan nodded solemnly to Damon and resumed his packing, "But somewhere in her lies, as much as I hate to admit it, there's always a fragment of truth. I have to find it."

"Why aren't you curious about this more? I mean, I forced you into becoming a vampire…don't you want to become human again?" Stefan continued with pure curiosity in his voice.

Damon laughed bitterly, "I'm too far gone, Stefan. I stopped wishing for it a long time ago. I'll let you in on a little secret, Stef. As a human, you saw how I was always a disappointment, one that had to be constantly kept in the shadows lest I embarrass Father. But now that I'm actually part of the darkness, I've found that I can do some things right. I can protect the people I care about. I can be witty and strikingly handsome without even trying, fine I do but only minimal effort required at best. But you know what the real funny thing is? As a vampire, I found that I'm actually capable of love. I never had that before, Stefan, but now I do. I'm _not_ giving it up for a pulse."

"What if that's what Elena wants?" Stefan countered softly.

"It's not what she needs. We both know that. I can't keep her safe any other way." Damon said quietly but with a determination in his voice that was sure and unmistakable, "Stefan, if you succeed, you'll be another part of Elena's life that's vulnerable. You'll be something they'll be able to use against her and I don't want to have to make the choice between the two of you if you both get into a dangerous situation and it comes down to that."

"I'd die first before you even get to that point. It's Elena, Damon. I still can't think of a better reason to die." Stefan said smiling faintly.

"What's going on?" Elena said from the doorway, frowning as she looked at the nearly full suitcase on the bed, "Stefan, what's all this?"

"He's going after the lunatic who looks like you but likes garish makeup." Damon said deadpan, "Wanna come with? I hear it's the adventure of a lifetime—see the sights, take picture and chase after the remote possibility of humanity."

"Damon, be quiet. Stefan, is this true?" Elena said slowly, "Although, given your brother's classic reaction of excessive sarcasm to painful news, I'm guessing it is. You're going after Katherine?"

Stefan gave her an apologetic smile before zipping up his luggage, "Yes to everything you just asked. I guess it just starts and ends with her after all, just how she wanted it."

"Yeah, yeah, how poetic, Stefan. It doesn't make it less crazy though." Damon said derisively before turning to Elena, "Don't just stand there all wide-eyed and teary, do something, say something, anything! He'll listen to you. Snap your fingers or something. Throw a tantrum. When I say try anything, I mean it."

Stefan raised his eyebrows as he looked at his brother, "I thought you weren't going to stop me?"

"Yeah well I had every intention of playing good cop but _someone_," Damon said, glaring pointedly at Elena, "is not up to the role of bad cop and can only pass as silent cop right now. Elena, a little help here?"

"No," Elena said finally, stepping closer to Stefan and kissing him on the cheek, "I'm not going to stop you, Stefan. You deserve this chance even if it's a long shot. And I know you want this for the right reasons."

"Uh, Elena, he's doing this so he can be the father of your children and proud owner of a mini van. I don't think that qualifies as a 'right reason.'" Damon pointed out, narrowing his eyes at Stefan who merely shook his head.

Elena shook her head and exchanged a smile with Stefan, ignoring Damon completely, "Does he really believe that?"

"Yes, he's been going on and on about it," Stefan said, talking about his brother as if he weren't in the room, making Damon fume a bit more, "but it is partly true, you know."

"I _do_ know," Elena said casually, trying hard not to betray how the pain was searing through her insides knowing her words will make her choice more real, "and part of me will be sorry for the rest of my life for not wanting that future with you. I'm sorry, Stefan, for not loving you enough to want that. I thought I did and maybe if I had some sense left in me, I should want it. But I can't because there's this voice in my head that's telling me there's this guy who irritates me to the point of exhaustion, makes me feel fear like everything is always on the line and makes me feel like any second now my heart will burst from all the emotions. Damon makes me feel alive, Stefan, and I'm not giving him up."

"Sounds tiring," Stefan said with the ghost of a smile on his lips as his eyes betrayed the hurt that he lived through.

"Exhausting." Elena said as her eyes filled with unshed tears, wishing she didn't have to inflict such pain.

"We would have been easier. We made sense." Stefan said as he moved to leave, pausing to kiss the top of Elena's head gently, "But let's just leave it at that for now. Goodbye, Elena."

"Damon," Stefan said nodding to his brother, "Take care of her, please."

"That's like asking me to wear black at least once a week. It goes without saying, Stefan, you don't need to ask. It's done." Damon said rolling his eyes before approaching his brother, awkwardly standing in front of each other, "Kill the bitch if you can, Stefan. She's done enough damage to last a dozen lifetimes. And…be safe. Try to come back in one piece—dead or alive, preferably undead."

Stefan took deep breath and gave his brother a one-armed hug. Damon initially resisted before clapping Stefan tightly on his back, whispering to him something only the two of them could hear, "You have to come back…Elena needs you too."

Stefan pulled away and nodded once again to both of them before leaving without a backwards glance.

Elena and Damon stood apart, staring at each other in silence, each unsure of what to do.

"Pssst," Damon hissed after a few moments, talking in a stage whisper, "I know it's awkward and he just left but how long do we have to stand around like this, all gloom and doom? Can we continue the silence while sitting down, preferably with a drink in hand? And when do I get to say, you make me feel alive too and I also refuse to give you up without a fight…well with or without a fight actually, I have no intentions of giving you up now."

Elena threw up her hands in mock frustration, "Fine, you can say it now. I'll listen."

Damon gave her a mischievous smile, closing the distance between them, pulling her arms around his waist before letting his own encircle her, "No, I think I'd rather hear your guesses before you figured out what it was I compelled you to forget when I gave back your necklace."

He felt Elena's laughter against his chest right before she turned her face on it, letting her ear rest gently against where his heart was. "I thought you kissed me and you didn't want me to know. Then there was that fear that you confessed to something horrible that would hurt me and then you just took it back by making me forget. But mostly, it just felt like you were leaving me…as if you said goodbye and you didn't want me to figure it out until you were gone. It hurt like hell, that's all I remember from that night."

"All wrong, glad to know my tricks still work like they should," Damon said with mock arrogance, "Your first guess, the one you told me before Bonnie came and blasted us through the door, was actually much closer—me kissing you on the forehead and wishing you'd remember that night, minus the pink shirt part of course."

"I know," Elena murmured, "I just made up parts of it but I already figured it out when I made that guess. I just didn't tell you because I wasn't sure I even wanted the possibility for you to be my happily ever after."

Damon pulled back and looked at her, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear, "I'm still not, Elena. I'll never be fairy tale material."

"No, you're not." Elena said smiling at him, "You and me, we're epic—born centuries apart, hunted down by manipulative villains that put wicked stepmothers to shame and shrouded in mystery and a tangle of deceit."

"You think we're good enough to inspire a trilogy?" Damon said smirking as he pulled her back close to him.

"And prequels and spinoffs," Elena replied softly against his chest and wondered, against her better judgment, what it would be like to hear a heartbeat there.

"It's not too late to change your mind, Elena." Damon said quietly, "You can still pick Stefan. He's Prince Charming material."

Elena closed her eyes and listened to the silence that filled her ears. No pulse, no throb, no heartbeat—nothing. She smiled as a sense of calm descended on her as she replied to Damon, "No, thanks. I'm good."

Damon shook his head, unable to wipe the grin that was spreading ridiculously wide on his face, "Maybe we should write it down, Elena. So you don't forget."

Elena took a deep breath and pulled away from Damon, completely detaching herself as she spoke, her hands simultaneously unclasping the necklace around her neck, "Damon, I want you to undo it—give me back the memory. Make me remember. _Please._"

She pressed the necklace into his hands, her eyes locked on his as he nodded mutely, the images and voices flashing in her mind almost immediately.

_I thought that was gone._

Elena saw herself approach Damon, eyes lit up in surprise.

_Thank you._

She looked at him expectantly, reaching out for her necklace but he held it back. Elena watched the fear creep into her face.

_Please give it back._

_I just have to say it once. You just need to hear it._

Elena kept watching, taking in how she took a step back, away from Damon, her instincts on overdrive as it went back to a similar night.

_I love you, Elena._

Elena knew this. She felt it, understood it and knew it even when the words were not in her mind but somehow it was as if she was hearing it for the first time.

_And it's because I love you, that I can't be selfish with you. Why you can't know this… I don't deserve you. But my brother does_.

Elena wanted to disagree and argue with him, but just like the version of herself that she watched, she could only stand mutely as even her tears were kept still by his confession.

_God, I wish you didn't have to forget this…but you do._

Elena gasped, blinking rapidly, as the scene ended playing in her mind, the memory sharp and clear as they flooded back into her mind. The tears she held back when he spoke that night finally found release as Elena looked at Damon, who appeared worried and almost afraid of her now that she knew.

He took a step closer to her and gently placed the necklace on her again, Elena's hands reaching up to lock his in place when he finished.

"I love you too, Damon."

He smiled gently at her as he leaned in to kiss her, "I know. I figured. At least now you remember who said it first."

-fin

* * *

_**A/N: Thank you so much for all those who read this story through to the end (especially for all the kind reviews—loved reading them!) I hope you liked this and yes there will be a sequel soon...teaser follows **_

"_What news do you bring me?" the regal voice demanded as if he didn't already know what he was about to be told._

"_She has succeeded, my liege," the servant answered with a dramatic bow, "Elijah is dead, a Bennett witch and that Rose as well. The older Lockwood has also been killed and the pup has now the curse. He has turned but not yet by the full moon. The shaman, the brothers and the doppelganger have all survived with her. Katerina has set the prophecy in motion."_

"_And she doesn't even realize what she has done," Klaus said his face expressionless save for his eyes that now glinted with restrained pleasure and malice, "Perfect, Katerina. Just_ perfect_."_


End file.
